


In a Sea of Stars

by knightsofreyloreborn



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Ben Solo never trained with Luke, Canon Divergence, Dark Rey (Star Wars), Dark!Rey, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rey is on the Dark side, Reylo - Freeform, Smuggler!Ben Solo, Swearing, This is a reverse Kylo Ren/Rey story, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:46:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 31,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22023562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightsofreyloreborn/pseuds/knightsofreyloreborn
Summary: Ben Solo never trained with his uncle to become a Jedi.  He prefered to stay with his father and learn how to become a smuggler.  Now he's with the Resistance helping them defeat the First Order, the only thing is someone keeps trying to reach him through the Force.Rey has been with the First Order since the night Supreme Leader Snoke destroyed Luke Skywalker's Jedi Temple.  Now she's trying to find her old master and tempt his nephew to the dark.  Can she reach him and turn him or will she be the one that is turned back to the light?
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 110
Kudos: 149





	1. Chapter One ~ Ben

Ben Solo hadn’t thought about where life was going to take him. He hadn’t thought about becoming a Jedi like his uncle or his grandfather before them. Look at where that had gotten both of them. His grandfather had turned to the Darkside and his uncle was in hiding. So no, he hadn’t considered becoming a Jedi. 

He was a smuggler like his dad, and so far that was working out just fine for him. He stayed out of trouble the best he could, but that was hard seeing as how he was now working as a smuggler for his mother and the Resistance. Leia Organa hadn’t asked him to join the Resistance, he had volunteered for the part. 

When the First Order began to rise Ben had been a child. He had heard the voice of someone named Snoke in his mind, but with the help of his mother, he was able to block him out. Then his uncles Jedi temple was attacked and all but one of his students had been killed. Ben wondered what had happened to the child as he grew, then he heard that there was a girl rising to power on the Darkside of the Force.

Ben hadn’t thought it was fair that the child was pulled into the war and turned to the Darkside like that. How had they allowed themselves to be turned like that? But he knew that maybe they were young and impressionable. There had to be a good reason for what had happened to them.

Now Ben was in his ship with Poe Dameron beside him as they tried to get away from First Order TIE Fighters. “Can’t this rust bucket go any faster?” Poe asked as he tried to punch it.

Ben was frantically trying to fix the beeping sound coming from the console. He glared at Poe for a moment before he went back to working the wires of the ship, “If the Resistance had more money maybe we wouldn’t need these  _ rust buckets _ ,” he jabbed. “But as of right now we have barely enough funding to get up good parts for the X-Wings, which may I remind you are more important than this ship.”

Poe cursed as the TIE Fighters fired off a few rounds at them. He quickly turned the steering device to the right to try and throw the Fighters off their trail for a brief moment while Ben worked to get the compressor to work properly. “Just get the ship working!”

Ben grumbled something about Poe being a trigger happy flyboy, but didn’t say anything else to him as he continued to work. Just when Poe was about to give up hope of Ben fixing the ship the beeping stopped and Ben took his spot in the captain’s chair next to Poe’s. “Fixed it,” Ben began tapping on buttons and checking their coordinates.

“Fixed it,” Poe said in a mocking tone. “Still a rust bucket.”

“Just get us out of here,” Ben said as he prepped for a lightspeed jump.

“Going to lightspeed in three… two… one,” Poe pushed the lightspeed lever up and both men braced themselves for the jump. Stars whooshed by them as they jumped through space to a new galaxy. This time they found themselves near the planet D’Qar where the Resistance base was located.

Both men visibly relaxed when they saw the planet before them. After the day they had had both of them didn’t think they were going to see the Resistance planet again. Poe landed the ship and the two of them broke off in different directions. Poe went to deliver the news to Leia about what they had found out, and Ben went to his room to change and shower before he went to get food.

Connix was waiting outside of Ben’s room when he was done and he didn’t even blink at her presence there. “Can I help you with something, Connix?” He asked as he ran a hand through his still wet hair.

“Your mother would like a word with you,” she replied smoothly. “She thought that you would come with Poe to give your report on what happened out there.”

Ben glanced down at Connix, “Poe had it handled, he knew what went on out there. There was no need for me to jump in and say anything.”

Connix sighed, “Maybe Leia just wanted an excuse to see her son? You’re so quiet all the time and she likes to see you.”

Ben knew that his mother liked having him around and liked seeing him from time to time, but he had gotten used to the solitude that came with being a smuggler. He had learned that from his dad. Han Solo only had Chewie to help him out with his missions, and Ben had followed in his footsteps except he didn’t have his very own Chewie there with him.

Connix led him to the main hub where all the Resistance leaders were located, each of them following General Leia’s orders. Ben’s eyes scanned the crowded room for his mother. She wouldn’t be too hard to find seeing as how she was constantly surrounded by people. Ben sometimes wondered if his mother even slept since she was so busy leading the Resistance.

Connix stopped and pointed to where Leia was sitting talking with a couple of the fighter pilots that Poe led. She looked up as is she felt him near, he wouldn’t be surprised if she had. He knew his mother was Force sensitive, there was no way that she couldn’t be. Given who her father was and who her brother was it made sense. Ben had shut that part of himself off long ago, and he had never asked his mom about her abilities.

As he approached Leia dismissed the fighter pilots who quickly glanced up at Ben before darting away. “Connix said that you wanted to speak to me,” he told her as he took the seat one of the pilots had vacated seconds before.

“I wanted to hear from you how the missions went. Did you get what we were looking for?” Leia’s face was blank, not revealing if she already knew the answer or not. He knew that she did, but he would humor her.

“We didn’t get exactly what we were looking for, but they told us where we could find it. Tekka, he’s on a planet called Jakku, Dad used to call it a junkyard. Apparently, your old friend has part of the map that will lead us to Luke.”

“Did anything else happen while you were out there?” Again her face revealed nothing, she wanted him to open up to her and tell her everything.

“We were chased by First Order TIEs, but we managed just fine. The ship had some malfunctions, but I did what I could to keep it running,” Ben began to feel uncomfortable as if he were under interrogation from his own mother. “May I be excused now? I’d like to get something to eat,” he went to rise, but one word from his mother caused him to plant himself back in the chair.

“Sit,” she said in her calm, motherly way that would cause anyone to freeze. “Why are you avoiding me, Ben? You hardly come to see me anymore.”

Ben shifted in his seat, he didn’t have an excuse, “I just… I know you’re busy and I’d rather just keep to myself until I’m needed.”

“There’s something else, Ben. I know you well enough to know when something is bothering you,” she pushed. “I’m your mother after all.”

Ben looked away from her, he looked toward the busy hub, he watched everyone go about their duties. Finally, he sighed, “I’m hearing voices again….”

Leia frowned, “I thought you had cut yourself off from the Force?”

“I did,” Ben looked back at his mother and for the first time since joining her, he saw real emotion on her face. He saw the worry and concern in her eyes. He hated worrying her with his trivial issues when she had so much more to worry about. “I don’t know how, but this one voice always manages to get through to me no matter how hard I try to block them out.”

“What are they saying?” Leia pushed. She knew that there would be beings out there in the galaxy that would want to use her son for his lineage. Being the grandson of Darth Vader tended to put a target on one’s back.

Ben shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know, I can’t hear what they’re saying to me. Sometimes I hear my name, other times it’s muffled. I know that whoever is trying to speak to me though is female.”

Leia reached out and took her son’s hand in hers, “Maybe Luke will have answers when we find him. Maybe he can help tell you what’s going on.”

Ben wasn’t sure anyone would be able to tell him what was going on, “We’ll see.” He stood this time, Leia not bothering to stop him as he did. “I’ll be in the cafeteria if you need me.”

Leia watched as Ben walked away, his shoulders stiff as he went. Leia knew that Ben cutting himself off from the Force had been for the best, but sometimes she wished that she had insisted on training him. He might have been safer if he knew how to control his abilities. Han had said that it should be left up to Ben whether or not he went into Force training or not.

Now Han was nowhere to be seen. Leia wasn’t even sure where her husband was in the galaxy. He had refused to get involved with another war. He said that he had had enough the first time around. Sometimes Leia wondered if he was still alive, but she hadn’t felt him pass from existence so she figured it was a safe bet that he was still alive out there.

Leia just prayed that whoever was trying to reach her son wasn’t going to cause more problems for them.


	2. Chapter Two ~ Rey

A group of stormtroopers pressed themselves against the wall as a hooded figure rounded the corner and came their way. As she passed they seemed to hold their breath, waiting to see if she would pay them any mind or if she would keep moving. There was something about her that made them feel more skittish than usual. Underneath the hood and mask she wore she seemed frustrated.

When she passed them by without an incident the two stormtroopers glanced at one another and let out a sigh of relief before hurrying in the opposite direction.

The hooded figure, on the other hand, was barely containing the fury she was feeling below the surface. Her hands were clenched at her sides and she wanted to grab her lightsaber and destroy the nearest object. But she was currently on her way to see the Supreme Leader and she didn’t want to keep him waiting longer than necessary.

The doors to the Supreme Leader’s throne room opened and revealed the bright red walls along with Supreme Leader Snoke sitting on his throne waiting for her. “There you are, my young apprentice. I was wondering if you had gotten lost.”

She gritted her teeth and came to a stop before him, dropping to her knees and bowing her head in submission. “Supreme Leader,” her accented voice came out slightly robotic because of her mask.

“Tell me, why do I feel such intense anger rolling off of you? Has someone displeased you?” Snoke cocked his head to the side, studying her as she stayed in her submissive pose.

“He’s resisting me,” she growled. “Every time I try to reach Ben Solo, he blocks me out. He’s untrained and doesn’t have the experience in keeping people out of his head. How is he resisting me?”

Snoke chuckled, “Patience, my young apprentice. Ben Solo will come to us eventually. He cannot hold up against you for long.”

Her head snapped up and Snoke thought that if she weren’t wearing a helmet then she would be glaring at him. “We  _ need _ him,” she argued back. “We need him here. The longer he’s with the Resistance the closer he will be to reaching Luke Skywalker. We need him here before that can happen.”

Snoke stood and walked over to where she was kneeling, “The Resistance will not find Luke Skywalker, I promise you that.” He motioned for her to rise and she did. “For now I want you to head to Jakku with a squadron of stormtroopers. An old ally of the Resistance is located there and I’ve heard whisperings that he has a piece of the map that leads to Skywalker. Get there before the Resistance does, find the rest of the map and then you can exact your revenge on your old Jedi Master.”

Rey nodded her head once, “Yes, Supreme Leader. I won’t let you down.” She turned and strode from the room. Once outside she stopped a group of stormtroopers, “Find me Captain Phasma, we have a mission.”

“Right away, Master Rey,” the first stormtrooper said before they hurried off to find the captain of the stormtroopers.

Rey headed toward the hanger where the transport ships would be located. She would be heading to General Hux’s Star Destroyer  _ Finalizer _ to carry out the mission from Snoke. Rey knew that Hux would be thrilled with her addition to his Star Destroyer. He seemed less than pleased with her existence amongst the members of the First Order. To be fair though she never encouraged a good relationship between the two of them either. In fact, she found pleasure in annoying the General.

Captain Phasma approached Rey, “The troopers said that we had a mission.”

Rey looked at Phasma and nodded her head, “We do, we’re going to Jakku and retrieve the rest of the map to my old Master. An ally of the Resistance has it in his possession. We’re to get there before the Resistance has a chance to act.”

“Of course,” Phasma and Rey headed for the transports where the stormtroopers were awaiting their arrival. “Does General Hux know of our impending arrival?”

“If he doesn’t then he will,” Rey replied. “The General should be aware of our arrival though. I’m sure Supreme Leader Snoke has already sent word to him.

Aboard the  _ Finalizer  _ General Hux was pacing back and forth. He had just received word that Rey would be arriving with Captain Phamsa within the hour. He had gritted his teeth when the Supreme Leader had informed him of the impending arrival. Hux wasn’t fond of Rey and she knew it and relished in torturing him.

“General,” one of Hux’s underlings approached him cautiously. “Master Rey’s transports are approaching. She would like to speak with you.”

Hux clenched his fists and glared at the officer, “Fine, send her my way when she and the stormtroopers arrive.”

The officer nodded and hurried off to fulfill his duties. Hux stared out the windows at the vastness of space. He hated Rey more than words could describe, and he hated that she was the Supreme Leader’s pet. If it hadn’t been for that then she would have been gone a long time ago.

Now here he was having to follow the Supreme Leader’s orders and make nice with her. He stood tense, no one around him daring to say a word about his obvious discomfort. They all knew better than to annoy the General now.

The doors to the bridge opened and Rey strode in. Hux turned and saw that it was her, his face never shifting for the sour expression. “Come now, General Hux, don’t look so sour. I’m just here to make sure the mission is carried out how it’s supposed to be.”

General Hux narrowed his eyes at her, “Are you trying to say that my men are incapable of fulfilling the Supreme Leader’s orders?”

Rey wished he could see the cruel smile on her face, “Whatever gave you that impression, General?”

Hux opened his mouth to retort something, but he quickly closed it thinking better than to get into a fight with her. “Just take what you need and get off my Star Destroyer.”

“As hospitable as ever, General Hux,” she turned and surveyed the room. “Once I retrieve the rest of the map I want a course plotted for Luke Skywalker’s coordinates,” she instructed. “The sooner we get there the better.”

“Of course,” Hux replied smoothly. He was ready to be rid of the last Jedi as well. He could put up with her presence for that long, he hoped. “Is there anything else you need from me, Rey?”

“Not at the moment, General. Just stay here and relax while I carry out the mission,” with that she left the bridge and went back to the transports to head down to the surface of Jakku.

The transports took off and Rey closed her eyes, feeling the Force around her. She could feel the lives of everyone on the transports. There was one that stood out to her the most. A trooper was feeling conflicted and she wondered if he was resisting his training. She filed that away for a rainy day.

Soon the transport ships were landing and the stormtroopers quickly exited the transport ships, their blasters going off and taking down the small group of fighters that were firing back. Rey waited until the shooting stopped and exited the transport. Two troopers brought a man forward.

“Lor San Tekka,” Rey said as he was brought to a stop in front of her. “Where is it?”

Tekka looked at her, no fear written on his face, but Rey could feel it swirling about him. “I don’t have it, you’re too late. The Resistance will get to Luke before you have the chance,” he told her, his eyes never wavering from her masked face.

Rey hummed and gripped his face between her fingers, “You seem so sure that we won’t find him. Where is the map, Tekka?”

“You were not meant for this path, you were a bright student,” Tekka chose to say instead of answering her question.

Rey was growing impatient, “Tell me where it is, old man. And maybe I’ll spare the village you so lovingly call home.”

Tekka knew that no one here would be spared from her wrath. “I will never tell you where the map is,” he told her. “I do not fear death.”

Rey sighed, “Tell the Maker that I said hello.” Then she reached to her side and unclipped her saber, the bright red blade sliced through Tekka, killing him instantly. She looked at Phasma, “The pilot can’t be far from here, find him.”

Phasma shouted orders and within a few minutes the Resistance pilot was on his knees in front of Rey. Rey studied him, he was handsome, she would admit that. “So do you want to go first or should I?”

“Where is it?” Rey’s tone was almost bored. She didn’t have time to play games with him.

“Where’s what?”

“The map,” came her sharp response. “I know the old man gave it to you. Now, where is it?”

“Haven’t seen it,” he replied. “I think I dropped it somewhere in the sand in all the confusion.”

Rey didn’t have time for this, “Put him on the transport, have him interested when we get back.”

“Yes, Master Rey,” Phasma replied. “And what of the others?”

Rey looked at the cowering civilians, “Kill them.” With that, she turned her back and headed for the transports as the troopers fired on the civilians. She paused and looked to her right where a trooper was looking at her. He jumped, and Rey recognized him as the one that she had felt earlier through the force. She couldn’t wait to see what happened with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are enjoying this! I've had the idea for a while now and I'm finally working on it. Please feel free to share your thoughts! Also, I hate that I can't call Rey "Ren". Rey Ren seemed a little much like how Ben Ren wouldn't have sounded right either lol.  
> Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2020 treats you all right.


	3. Chapter Three ~ Ben

Ben was working on the ship he and Poe had been in not a day prior. He was hoping to fix it before his next mission so it wouldn’t malfunction on him again and put him in another life or death situation. He didn’t have much to work with, but he was going to try his hardest to get it to work properly. 

“Ben,” his mother’s voice brought him out of what he was doing. He crawled out from under the console in the cockpit. She looked worried, “We haven’t heard from Poe, and we’re worried that something may have happened to him.”

Ben frowned, “Where did he go?” He hadn’t been aware that Poe had been sent out on a mission.

“Jakku, an ally there had the rest of the map to Luke. Poe went to retrieve it but before he could leave the First Order was there, they took Poe and I don’t know if they have the rest of the map.” It had been a last minute decision when she had gotten the message from Tekka telling her that he could get her part of the map to Luke.

“What do you need me to do?” Ben asked his mother. He and Poe may not have gotten along in the past, but he didn’t want to leave the pilot to the mercy of the First Order.

Leia didn’t like the thought of sending her son into a dangerous situation, but she also knew he was the most capable of doing the job. “I need you to go to Jakku and see if you can find BB-8, Poe would have left the map with the droid in case something happened to him. Right now all we can do is pray that the First Order didn’t get their hands on that map.”

Ben nodded his head, he didn’t like the idea of going to Jakku, but he knew they needed that map. “And what about Poe?”

“We can’t do anything for him now,” Leia said regretfully. “I can’t risk sending someone to the Star Destroyer to retrieve him. Pray for a miracle because that’s the only way he’ll be helped now.”

Ben hated hearing his mother say that, but there was no way any of them could sneak onto a Star Destroyer without being noticed. He promised his mother that he would be careful and finished the preparations on the ship. He did one final check of the systems and then he was off, speeding through space to reach Jakku. 

Ben had only been to Jakku once before with his dad. He had hated the sand and the heat. His dad had described it as a junkyard, and to be honest that was a fair assessment. Jakku was filled with nothing but old Empire ships and broken down ships. Scavengers stole parts in order to get food and prayed they’d make it through another day. Ben felt bad for the people that were stuck on the planet scavenging for food and other useful items that they would need.

Before he knew it he was there and landing his ship at Niima Outpost. He looked around the desert planet and sighed, there was no way he was going to be able to find BB-8 here. Checking to make sure there were no First Order patrols nearby Ben departed the ship and began going through the settlement asking around for the droid in question.

No one had seen BB-8, but they told him to check with Unkar Plutt to see if he had seen the droid. Ben didn’t really want to talk with the junk boss, but he had no other choice. He made his way through the settlement to Unkar’s shop all the while praying to catch sight of the orange and white droid.

When he reached the stall he saw that there was a line of people waiting to trade their finds for food. It made Ben sick that Unkar used these people like this, they were nothing more than slaves to him. Ben cut his way to the front, apologizing as he went. “Unkar, may I have a word?”

Unkar looked at Ben with narrowed eyes, “Ben Solo, it’s been a while since you last graced my settlement with your presence. Where’s your father?”

“Don’t know and don’t really care right now. I need to know if you’ve seen a BB unit around here. Orange and white in coloring.”

Unkar rubbed his chin, thinking about whether or not he had seen the droid in question. “Can’t say that I have, but I’d pay whoever can find that droid a lot of money. Maybe even enough to buy passage off of this planet,” he said that last part loud enough that the crowd could hear.

Ben clenched his fists, “You slimy, good for nothing--” He stopped when one of Unkar’s thugs went for their blaster. “Whatever,” he scoffed. “Have fun sweating to death in this hellhole Unkar.” He turned and stormed away from Unkar’s stall, listening to the alien laugh as he went.

Ben wanted to slam his fists through the alien’s face, but he had to remember that he wasn’t here to cause a scene. He took in steadying breaths and unclenched his hands. His eyes fell shut and he began breathing deeply. It was a trick his mom had taught him when he was younger and his anger seemed to want to consume him. She had told him that that was the Darkside trying to take over and he mustn’t let it.

He had struggled when he was younger, hearing voices calling to him, telling him to join the dark. He had blocked them out, Leia helping him as much as he could. Luke had offered to take him in and train him in the ways of the Force. Leia had asked Ben if that was what he wanted to do, but he had been adamant about not becoming a Jedi. He didn’t want to learn to use his powers, he didn’t want to be tempted by the Darkside further.

Luke had respected Ben’s wishes and helped show him how to cut himself off from the Force. From then on the voices grew quieter until he learned to block them out completely. There was only one voice that remained though, and whoever it was seemed to be persistent.

He heard the sound of beeping and his eyes popped open, looking around to see if he could find the droid that had made the noise. Then his eyes landed on BB-8 rolling toward him as fast as the sand would let him. “BB-8!” He cried as he landed in the sand and began checking over the droid to see if there way anything wrong.

“Who are you?” A new voice asked and Ben looked up to see a man standing behind BB-8.

Ben’s eyes drifted down to the jacket that he was wearing, “That’s Poe’s jacket.” He stood and grabbed the man by the jacket, “How did you get this jacket?”

The man held up his hands, “Poe Dameron? I rescued him from the Star Destroyer. We were in one of the TIE Fighters and it crashed. This was all I could find of Poe.”

Ben released him and took a step back, “He’s dead?”

The man looked down, “I’m sorry, were you friends?”

Ben ran a hand through his hair. Were they friends? “Kind of,” he admitted at last. “We ran a few missions together, we were in the Resistance with one another.” He pointed to the droid, “This is BB-8, his droid.” 

“I’m sorry,” the man said. “I’m Finn, formly FN-2187.”

Ben looked up at the Finn fellow, “You were a stormtrooper? Then how the hell did you defect? I thought all troopers were brainwashed?”

“We are, but I don’t know… something never felt right. I guess I was able to fight through the reconditioning that they put us through.” He looked around, “We should go though, the First Order is probably still looking for me and for BB-8.”

Ben knew he was right, “Come on, my ship is this way.” The two of them began making their way to where Ben had left his ship when Ben caught the flash of white of a stormtrooper’s uniform. “Shit,” he cursed as he ducked down behind some boxes pulling Finn with him. “They’re here.”

Finn poked his head up from behind the box to see where the stormtroopers were, “What are we going to do?”

Ben glanced to where he could see his ship, they just had to sneak around the stormtroopers to get to it. “My ship isn’t that far, if we can sneak around the troopers we can make it.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Finn asked worriedly, he wasn’t sure he was on board with the sneaking plan. There was too much of a chance that they would be spotted. “I don’t know about you but there isn’t much that could hide us between them and your ship.”

“Over there!” Ben and Finn whipped their heads around to see a stormtrooper pointing at them.

“Shit, shit, shit,” began chanting as he pulled Finn up and started racing toward the ship. “Come on BB-8!” He shouted as the little droid tried to keep up with the two men. Overhead a TIE Fighter went zooming by and shot at the ship Ben had arrived in. “Aw come on!”

“Hey what about that one!” Finn pointed to another ship just several feet away.

Ben nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw which ship Finn was referring too, “Well I’ll be damned. That ship it is.” The two men and BB-8 hurried to the ship and climbed onboard.

Ben told Finn where to go to get to the gunner’s seat and he hurried to the cockpit. It was like coming home after a long day. The ship was familiar and comforting, having flown in it as a child and then as a teenager when his dad was teaching him how to fly.

The Millennium Falcon had been stolen from his dad some time ago, and Ben wondered briefly if Han had any idea that his ship had been on Jakku. It was doubtful because knowing his father he would have come for the Falcon as soon as he knew where it was. Ben took off, Finn in the gunner’s position waiting for the TIE Fighters to come after them.

Ben maneuvered the Falcon as best as he could to avoid being hit by the Fighters. “Finn now would be a good time to start firing back!” Ben shouted.

“I’m trying!” Finn shouted back. 

Both men were trying their damnedest not to be shot out of the sky and to make it out of there alive. BB-8 was trying not to roll all over the place as Ben jerked the Falcon to a fro in order to avoid the Fighters. Finn managed to shoot one of the Fighters down and he began cheering, Ben grinned at the excitedness coming from the gunner’s seat.

Before long Ben was shooting them into the vastness of space and away from the Jakku desert. Finn joining him in the cockpit. “I never did catch your name,” Finn said at last.

“It’s Ben,” Ben replied. “Ben Solo.”

Finn paused, the last name sounded familiar to him. He had heard of another man with the surname Solo. “Wait, Solo? As in Han Solo?”

“The one and the same,” Ben replied. “He’s my dad, and this is his ship. Had no idea that it was on Jakku though.” 

“That is--” Finn started to say when alarms began going off. “What’s happening?”

A red glow filled the cockpit, “Someone’s pulling us in.”

“It’s the First Order,” Finn replied. “We gotta hide.”

“Where?” Ben asked. “It’s a small ship with no escape pods, they’d find us eventually.”

“Well better later than now,” Finn argued as he threw himself out of his seat and toward the rest of the ship looking for any place to hide.

Ben growled and followed him. “Here,” he pointed to some grates. “We can hide down there, hopefully they won’t look there first.” The two of them hopped into the space and slid the grate over their heads. Ben prayed that they made it out of this okay and that they didn’t share the same fate that Poe Dameron had.


	4. Chapter Four ~ Rey

Rey headed in the direction where the Resistance pilot was being held for questioning. One of the stormtroopers had informed her that they weren’t having any luck getting the information they wanted out of him. She was on her way there to see if she could pull what she needed from his head. Maybe he would be a little more agreeable with her than he had been with the troopers.

The doors opened and Rey saw the Resistance pilot bloodied and beaten in the chair. She strode forward Poe’s eyes opened when he heard her approaching. “Ah, so they sent you this time, huh? Think you can pry the information out of me? You don’t scare me.”

Rey cocked her head to the side as she studied him, “It’s cute that you think that you can act all tough when I know you’re scared.” She circled him, “Tell me where the map is and this will go much smoother.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Poe told her through gritted teeth.

He was stronger than most, Rey had to give him that, but she would crack him just as easily as she had all the others. “You’re foolish, this bravery is going to get you nowhere with me.” She reached out with her hand, it was mere inches from Poe’s face. He grunted in pain as she began to use her abilities on him. “You’ll give me what I want whether I take it by force or you give it up willingly.” When he didn’t respond she merely shrugged, “The hard way it is then.”

Poe began to scream in pain as Rey forced the information from his head. She saw him handing the drive over to a BB unit, telling it to get as far away from there as it could. It was still on Jakku somewhere. 

When she released him from her hold he slumped back in the seat, passing out from exhaustion. She paid no more attention to Poe as she entered the hallway. General Hux was there waiting for her to see if she had been able to get the information they needed. “Well?” He prompted impatiently.

“It’s with a droid, an orange and white BB unit. Send some men down to Jakku to find it, and don’t fail me,” with that she turned and headed away from him. She didn’t want to hear anything else he had to say.

She made her way to her temporary room while she was with Hux and made a call to the Knights of Ren. Ap’lek answered the call, “Yes Master Rey?”

“Any luck trying to find our missing person?” She asked, she had sent the Knights of Ren to look for Ben Solo while she chased down the leads on the rest of the map to Luke Skywalker.

“No,” Ap’lek responded regretfully. “He moves around too much for us to get a read on him in any of the systems. He’s probably with the Resistance right now.”

“Keep looking,” she instructed. “Supreme Leader wants him with us.”

“Yes Master Rey,” he responded before she cut communication with them.

Where in the galaxy he could be? She closed her eyes and reached out to him again. Ever since she had been younger Rey had known of her connection to Ben Solo. She remembered hearing his voice in her head, he used to talk to himself when he was a child. He still did sometimes, and he seemed to isolate himself from others.

He preferred to stay away from others as she had done. She remembered how her parents had sold her to Unkar Plutt before Luke Skywalker had come to find her. He had sensed her abilities and came looking for her. He saved her from Unkar. She remembered the day clearly as if it had happened yesterday instead of over ten years ago.

_ Rey had been cleaning some parts that the scavengers had brought in from their day in the wastelands not far from the settlement that Unkar ruled. She hated working for the alien, she hated how he stuck close to her as if he knew she was planning on running. She hated that her parents had left her on this godforsaken planet. _

_ Then a ship had landed and a man had stepped out. He had wandered through the settlement catching the eye of the locals there. They had whispered about the saber attached to his belt. This was Luke Skywalker, the man that had saved the galaxy from the Empire. _

_ He had come to the tent where Rey was looking and had glanced down at her, “What’s your name?” _

_ Rey hadn’t said anything at first, what did he want with her? She was a nobody. “Rey,” she finally said. _

_ “Hey!” Unkar had called out when he noticed Luke standing near her. “Get away from my worker!” _

_ Luke had straightened and looked at Unkar, raising his hand he said, “You will let me leave with the girl.” _

_ “I will let you leave with the girl,” Unkar had responded, Rey’s eyes had widened when she saw that Unkar was cooperating. The alien wasn’t known to let others take things that he considered to be his, and she was one of the items he held in his collection. _

_ “You won’t send your men after us,” Luke continued not bothered by the glassy-eyed look that Unkar had. _

_ “I won’t send my men after you,” Unkar repeated. _

_ “Thank you for being so understanding,” Luke had smiled and then turned back to Rey. “Come with me,” he had extended his hand to her and at first she hesitated, but then she decided that anything would be better than staying on Jakku and living under Unkar’s rule. _

_ She had gone with Luke and began her Jedi training. Until that fateful night when she had joined Supreme Leader Snoke. _

Rey opened her eyes and looked around her room on the  _ Finalizer.  _ She wasn’t the same naïve girl she had once been. She was different now, and she wasn’t going to let anyone use her ever again, not even Snoke.

She wasn’t sure how she was going to do it, but she wasn’t going to be Snoke’s puppet for the rest of her life. She wasn’t going to allow herself to be shackled to yet another master that may or may not become afraid of the power she wielded. 

But in order to do so she needed Ben Solo’s help. She didn’t know what it was about him, but she knew that he would make her stronger. The Force was connecting them for a reason and she was going to figure out why. Snoke had no idea how deep her connection with Ben was, only that she could feel him through the Force. He claimed to have bridged their minds when he had found her. The two of them were powerful, Ben coming from the Skywalker line guaranteed his powers.

Snoke had plans for the two of them as well. He was going to use them to bring the galaxy to its knees, but Rey wasn’t about to let him do that.

Alarms began blaring around her and she looked around, reaching out with the Force to see what was happening. She searched for the Resistance pilot, but he wasn’t in the interrogation room where she had last left him. Frowning she stood and headed for the bridge where General Hux would undoubtedly be.

When she arrived she discovered that he was barking orders at his underlings, “General Hux, what happened with the Resistance pilot?”

Hux turned to face her, “He’s escaped with a stormtrooper, we’re looking now to figure out who it was.”

“Fn-2187,” she replied smoothly. “And where are they exactly?”

“They stole a TIE Fighter,” Hux informed her. “Where they’re headed, I have no clue.”

“Sir,” one of the officers called trying to get Hux’s attention. “They’re heading back to Jakku.”

“Good, they’re going back for the droid. Take them down before that can happen,” he instructed.

Rey watched the chaos unfold before her. She heard that the Fighter had been hit and was projected to land somewhere in the wastelands of Jakku. Hux instructed them to send a squad to the wreckage to see if they could recover the bodies and told them to send for Captain Phasma.

Rey grabbed Hux by his arm and hissed, “Don’t screw this up, General. I need that droid unharmed, do I need to remind you of what Supreme Leader Snoke will do if we fail?”

Hux shook her hand off his arm, “I am well aware of how displeased the Supreme Leader will be, Rey. My men are perfectly capable of handling this.”

“Are they?” She questioned calmly. “Because clearly they’ve shown the will to leave the First Order. Maybe a clone army will be better suited for our needs. At least they won’t rebel against us.”

Hux’s face became a mask of anger, “My men are capable!”

“Get me the droid and then we’ll see,” with that she turned and left the room before any more could be said to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are enjoying the story! I'm having so much fun writing it! I love the idea of Ben and Rey's roles being reversed. The story will start to diverge from canon the further into the story we get because not everything from the movies will work in the story. But I'm looking forward to seeing y'all's reactions to how things play out!


	5. Chapter Five ~ Ben

Finn and Ben were waiting for the First Order troops to flood the Falcon, but they never came. Instead Ben heard the familiar sounds of a Wookie and the faint sound of his father’s voice. “Dad?” Ben pushed the grate off of where he and Finn were hiding and climbed out just as Han Solo rounded the corner.

“Ben? What the hell are you doing with the Falcon?” Han Solo had not been expecting to see his son inside his former ship. “Where did you even find it?”

“Jakku,” Ben responded as he helped Finn and BB-8 out of their hiding spot. “Kind of stole it from Unkar Plutt.”

“So that’s who had her,” Han mused. He looked up at Chewie, “What was that about it not being in the western reaches?” Chewie merely shrugged his shoulders, clearly not bothered by Han’s question.

“Wait… you’re Han Solo?” Finn asked with a growing grin.

Han looked from Ben to Finn and then back to his son, “Who’s this?”

“Ah yeah, Finn this is my dad Han Solo, dad this is Finn,” Ben introduced the two of them. “Finn defected from the First Order. Now we’re here to get BB-8 back to the Resistance.”

Han looked down at the droid staring up at him and said, “I’ll need to get you boys on a different ship. It’s all over the scanners that the two of you are on the Falcon. I’m taking you to Maz, she’ll help get you back to your mother.”

Ben had figured they would need a different ship. The Falcon was one of the most recognizable ships in the galaxy, there would be no way they could keep off the First Order’s scanners in it. Han led the two of them deeper into his ship and away from the Falcon. Finn looked around in amazement as the father and son duo talked amongst themselves.

“Where’s the rest of your crew?” Ben asked as he noticed they were the only ones on board. “I specifically remember you having a bigger crew.”

Han growled, “We had a job to hunt down Rathtars, and let’s just say it didn’t end too well for us.”

“Whoa, whoa wait a minute,” Finn’s interest was suddenly piqued when he heard the word “Rathtar”. “Please tell me that we aren’t currently on board a ship with Rathtars.”

Even Ben was looking at his dad like he was crazy, “I’m gonna agree with Finn, please tell me you didn’t do something as stupid as accepting a job to get Rathtars. Who would even want them?”

Han merely shrugged, clearly not bothered by his son and his new friend’s sudden unease, “King Prana asked for them. He said he was gonna be using them for some competition he has going on. Listen, the pay was good and I needed the money so I took the job.”

“One of these days Dad, you’re going to be killed because you’re going to go up against something that is too much for you to handle,” Ben said in exasperation. He loved his Dad, but sometimes the old man bit off more than he could chew.

“Hey, I’ve been around a lot longer than you, Ben Solo. So don’t lecture me on what I should and shouldn’t be doing with my smuggling business.”

“Mom wouldn’t be happy if she knew you were out here smuggling Rathtars,” Ben shot at his father.

Han pointed at his son, “Don’t you dare tell your mother what I’m doing.”

Finn elbowed Ben, “What’s so scary about your mother?”

Ben gave Finn a look that said he never wanted to see Leia Organa-Solo mad, “Let’s just say I’d rather take my chances with one of the Rathtars.” Finn wasn’t sure he wanted to go to the Resistance now.

Han went to say something, but there was a noise and Han began cursing, “The two of you need to hide, now.”

Finn and Ben didn’t need to be told twice as they crawled into a grate leaving BB-8 with Han and Chewbacca. They watched through the floor as Han stood waiting for whoever it was that had joined them on the ship to show up. One of the doors opened and revealed Bala-Tik and Guavian Death Gang. Ben hung his head and started cursing his father for getting them in this position.

“Come on,” he looked over at Finn. “I’ve got an idea, and it’s not gonna be fun.”

Finn gave Ben a worried look, “Please tell me you’re not gonna do what I think you’re gonna do?”

Another door opened and they looked to see a new group of people. This time it was a group of men from the organization Kanjiklub. “Oh for fuck’s sake, Dad,” Ben cursed as he started moving quicker. He made it to a panel that would control the doors of the ship. He calculated which ones would be for the Rathtars and pulled on them.

Nothing happened at first, but then the sound of a distance scream echoed through the ship. “Did you really have to let them out?” Finn hissed.

“It’s either that or let them kill my dad and Chewie, find us and then hand us over to the First Order,” Ben argued. “We just gotta make it back to the Falcon in one piece.”

Chaos erupted as the Rathtars made their dramatic entrance. Blasters started to go off and the screams of the Rathtar victims echoed through the halls. Ben grabbed his dad and they took off in the opposite direction.

“I had it handled!” Han scolded as he followed behind Ben, shooting at one random member of one of the gangs that had managed to escape the carnage behind them.

Ben scoffed, “Yeah, you had it handled all right. A thank you would be nice right about now, Dad.”

“I’ll thank you when we make it out of here alive,” Han fired back. “Releasing the Rathtars, what kind of scheme was that?”

“Exactly the same thing you would do,” Ben said as they made it to the hanger with the Falcon. Bala-Tik and his crew appeared and began firing at them. On the other side, a Rathtar came busting through the door, screaming. “Everyone on the ship!”

You didn’t have to tell the others twice as Han and Ben rushed for the cockpit. Bala-Tik and his crew were splitting their firepower between hitting the Falcon and the Rathtar. Right before they were about to take off the Rathtar landed on the Falcon, biting at the windows trying to break through to get at the people inside.

“Have you ever tried taking off at lightspeed?” Han asked his son.

Ben’s eyes widened, “Are you insane?!”

Han prepped for lightspeed and glanced at Ben, “Just a little bit.” Then they were off leaving Bala-Tik and the others behind.

A few hours after leaving Han’s other ship behind Ben relaxed in the co-pilot’s seat and looked at his dad. Chewie and Finn were in the lounge playing the Dejarik with one another to kill time. It had been a few months since Ben had seen Han and he had wondered what his father had been up to.

“Spit it out,” Han said as he fiddled with the Falcon’s controls.

“Why haven’t you come back? Mom and I have been worried about you,” Ben finally admitted. “I know that you don’t like the idea of joining another war… but she could really use your support right now.”

Han looked over at his son, the confusion and sadness on his face only made Han’s guilt grow more intense. He hated that he ran. He hated that at the first sign of conflict he went back to doing the one thing he had always been good at. But Han had had enough of war to last him a lifetime. It always seemed to drag him back in though.

“I know your mother could use my help, and I know it was selfish of me to run. You and your mother made it seem so easy. The galaxy needed the Resistance to stand up and say they weren’t going to take the First Order’s crap. Your mother has always been strong like that, and I guess that’s where you get it from. Me, on the other hand, I’m not as strong as I like to think I am. One war was enough for me, and I was foolish enough to believe that this one would leave me untouched.”

Ben had to disagree with his dad. Han Solo was one of the strongest people he knew and he loved his dad. “I think you’re being a little too hard on yourself, Dad. I get not wanting to be involved with the war. I wish that I didn’t have to be involved in it either. I wish I was back home on Chandrila. I know you send us money, you like to think that you’re slick, but these dangerous jobs you take? It’s so you can help fund us isn’t it?” When Han didn’t respond Ben knew he was right. “You’re helping in a way that only you know how. You were never a soldier, you were a smuggler. Just because you’re not leading the charge doesn’t mean you’re a coward or not doing anything. But it would be nice if we could see you from time to time.”

Han chuckled, “When did you become so wise, kid?”

Ben shrugged and gave his dad a smile, “I think Mom had a lot to do with that.”

“She most certainly did,” Han muttered. “I’ll still get you and your droid to Maz, the First Order know that you’re with me on this ship. I’m not going to let them get the rest of the map to Luke.”

“What are you going to do then?” Ben didn’t like the idea of his dad and Chewie running around the galaxy in the Falcon while the First Order chased them down.

“I’ll figure something out, I always do,” Han wasn’t sure if he was ready to face Leia yet. His son was one thing, but his wife was a whole other story. They heard Finn shout an ‘aw come on’ from the lounge and Han said, “You might want to go check on your new friend. Sounds like he’s losing to Chewie.”

Ben got up and went to see what the commotion was. When he reached the lounge his father had been right, Finn was currently losing a game of Dejarik to Chewie. “No one can beat Chewie,” Ben said causing both Finn and Chewie to look away from the game. Chewie began to laugh as Ben took a seat beside the Wookie. “Dad says he cheats.” Chewie growled at Ben and he merely held up his hands, “Dad’s words, not mine.”

Finn was glaring at the board before him, “I don’t see how I can lose every time! I think I have him and then he somehow beats me.”

Ben knew exactly how Finn was feeling, he himself had tried beating Chewie at the game, but never could. “Chewie has been around for a long time now, he’s had time to perfect his gaming skills. Don’t give up, maybe you’ll be the first person to beat him.”

Chewie made a noise that clearly made it obvious he was doubtful that anyone could ever beat him at this game. Finn watched Chewie carefully and then gave up, letting Ben take his spot to see how well he handled Chewie.

A half-hour later Han called for Ben, they were approaching Takodana. Finn joined Ben and Han in the cockpit, watching as the green and blue planet came into view. Han maneuvered the Falcon to a spot where no prying eyes would notice them right off the bat and they would be hidden from any First Order patrols.

Han led their small group to Maz’s castle, all of them hoping it would be smooth sailing from here.


	6. Chapter Six ~ Rey

Rey was meditating in her room when one of Hux’s underlings came to inform her that they had found Ben and the others they were after. “Master Rey, we’ve received word that the droid is with Han Solo, Ben Solo, FN-2187, and a Wookie on Takodana with Maz Kanata. What do you want us to do?”

Rey opened her eyes, a smile spreading across her face, this was a perfect opportunity. “Let me go first, I have an idea. Wait for further instructions.”

“Yes, Master Rey,” the officer left to inform the Hux of her order.

Rey walked over to her closet and began rifling through the clothes that she had there. Over the course of several years she had accumulated many different articles of clothing for many different reasons. She needed something to blend in with the people hiding on Takodana that way she wouldn’t be noticed right away.

Taking her mask off, she set it on a small table in the corner and laid out the outfit of a bounty hunter she had gone up against several years prior. It would do for now and she quickly changed. She felt slightly exposed without her mask, but wearing it would only draw more attention to herself, people would recognize her immediately.

Exiting her room she moved down the halls, officers and stormtroopers pausing when they noticed her. Her saber was still clipped to her side, she would need to hide it before she entered Maz’s territory, but for now she was safe to have it on her. She made her way to the aircraft hanger and found a smuggling ship the First Order had commandeered from a Resistance friendly smuggling ring just weeks prior.

She stopped a stormtrooper, “Be ready to appear at Takodana at a moment’s notice. I’ll try to capture the droid before the Resistance gets there or Solo and the others can leave on a new ship.”

“Yes, Master,” the trooper responded. “Do you want someone to accompany you to the surface?”

Rey scrunched up her nose in distaste, “No, you all will stand out like sore thumbs. I can handle this on my own.”

She didn’t give the stormtrooper a chance to respond before she boarded the ship and took off from the hanger. She could feel the anticipation building inside of her. She was finally going to face Ben Solo, after all these years she would be mere inches from him if she were lucky. She would get him and he map to Skywalker and finally end this once and for all.

Takodana came into view and she landed her ship. She looked around for signs of the Falcon, but couldn’t find it amongst the other ships amassed nearby. Figuring they had it hidden she merely moved on. She didn’t care about the Falcon, the only things she cared about now were being close to Ben Solo and the droid that had the map.

Rey quickly tucked her saber into a secret compartment of her outfit and resisted the urge to Force push the doors open on Maz’s castle. The air was warm inside, so many bodies pressed closely together making the space warm. Music played from a band and conversations blended together. Rey’s eyes scanned the room and discovered Maz sitting with three men. Her eyes instantly went to Ben Solo and her breath caught in her throat.

Her visions over the years hadn’t prepared her for how handsome he was in person. His hair was thick and slightly wavy. His face was serious at the moment, his eyes focused on Maz as she spoke. Rey wondered how tall he would be when he stood, from this distance she could already tell he was tall compared to her. 

After all this time he was finally there, she was seeing him clearly.

“Ben,” she whispered his name, her voice lost amongst all the other voices.

Ben tensed and he looked up as if he had heard her, it should be impossible over the other noise in the room. His eyes scanned the crowd and Rey quickly looked away. She didn’t need to spook him by making him think she was a bounty hunter. She felt her heart racing and she cautiously looked back to see if he was still looking around for her. He wasn’t, his eyes had gone back to Maz.

“Can I get you anything?” Rey was jerked back to reality and looked toward the alien bartender who was speaking to her.

She shook her head, “No, I’m meeting someone here.”

The bartender shrugged and walked away. Rey turned to check on Ben again and noticed that he was gone from the table. Quickly, Rey scanned her surroundings and saw that he was moving away from the crowded area toward a stairwell. Pushing off the bar she followed him. Where was he going?

From across the room Maz noticed that Ben now had a shadow. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the woman. There was a spark of recognition and she realized that Ben was now being followed by Rey, Supreme Leader Snoke’s favorite protege. Maz kept her mouth shut and didn’t speak about what she had seen, the two needed to work out whatever was about to happen on their own. She wasn't going to interfere just yet and she didn't need Ben's friends getting in the way. The Force had a way of pushing people together when they were supposed to be together, and Maz was trusting that that was exactly what was happening now.

Rey was now descending the stairwell, Ben had already reached the bottom, she could hear his footsteps echoing off the walls as he headed deeper into the subterranean level of Maz's castle. Rey had almost made it to the last step when she heard someone whisper her name, _“Rey.”_ She looked around in confusion, she didn’t recognize the voice. It had been a man, but she had a feeling as if she should know his voice. There was something comforting about it, and it made a shiver run down her spine.

Ben had now reached an alcove filled with boxes and other miscellaneous items that Maz had been hoarding over the years. Rey had shaken off the voice and was sneaking closer, a new feeling washing over her as if she were being watched from the shadows of the room. When she glanced in their direction there was nothing there, she merely chalked it up as the voice she had heard playing tricks on her mind. Her eyes turned back to Ben and saw as he reached for a wooden chest and slowly lifted the lid. She noticed his body tense before he reached in and lifted a lightsaber out. Rey’s breath caught, it was Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber. But how did Maz have that? Before she could do anything else she and Ben were both sucked into a vision.

_Both of them were now facing each other. Ben was frowning as he took in her appearance, “Who are you?” His voice was deep and he sounded skeptical, of course he was, he had just been sucked into a Force vision with a random stranger._

_“I’m Rey,” she replied._

_He took a step away from her and for some reason that bothered her. She knew her reputation, but he had no reason to be afraid of her. She didn’t want to hurt him, she would never hurt him. “Don’t you dare come near me,” he hissed, there was anger and disgust burning in his eyes as he realized who she was. “Did you do this? Did you bring me here?”_

_She shook her head and looked around, they were somewhere dark, flashes of lightning going off around them. They were no longer on Takodana, but some new planet, the darkside of the Force was prevalent here. She had never felt it so strong before. "I don’t even know where here is,” her voice was soft as the words came out, her mind whirling at the prospect of where this unknown planet could be._

_A laugh broke through the darkness sending chills down both their spines. Rey reached for her saber and drew it both ends igniting with twin red blades. Ben begrudgingly ignited his grandfather’s saber and took a defensive stance. Rey could tell by his stance that he had never wielded a lightsaber before and made a mental note to teach him how when he joined her. She couldn't have him getting himself killed all because he couldn't use a saber properly._

_For now though she was more concerned about where that laugh had come from and defending Ben Solo if it came down to it. She wasn't about to let the person get between her and Ben, not when she had finally found him._

_Before either of them could do anything or the person belonging to the laugh could appear the scene shifted, this time they were on a snowy planet. In the distance, they could hear a lightsaber duel happening and an angry cry ringing through the near-silent woods. Rey went to investigate, but the scene shifted once more so that they were now on a Star Destroyer. It was dizzying how quickly these scenes were shifting before their eyes and Rey tumbled into Ben, his arms instantly catching her before shoving her away, a sneer on his face._

_Before she could make a snide comment or do anything about how he had shoved her away as if she were unwanted space trash the next scene came into view, an island with stone huts. The sound of the sea hitting the rocky cliff sides were the only sounds that could be heard from their position. Why was the Force showing them all of this? What was the point?_

_Before either of them could get the answers they were searching for they were sucked out of the vision and thrust back into their reality._

Rey’s lightsaber was still clutched in her hands, ignited and so was Ben’s. Their eyes met and Rey slowly lifted her hands and shut off her saber to show that she didn’t want to fight with him. Ben, on the other hand, kept his ignited, he wasn't going to take any chances with her. “I don’t want to hurt you, I’ve been looking for you for a very long time,” she told him, she hoped that he stop glaring at her, that he would listen.

“The voice in my head,” he said. “It was _you._ ”

She smirked, “So you have been hearing me after all.” It pleased her to know that he had heard her, even if he hadn’t realized it at first. She held out her hand to him, “Come with me, Ben. I can show you the ways of the Force. We can do so much for the galaxy.”

Ben recoiled at the sight of her hand, “I’m not going anywhere with you. I know who you are. You’re Rey, leader of the Knights of Ren, Snoke’s _pet._ I don’t want anything to do with the Force, or you, or the First Order.”

Rey surged forward and froze him to the spot so he couldn’t escape her. Her hands were clutching his arms, and she looked up at him with a look that he couldn't decipher. She had to get him to see that he needed her just as much as she needed him, that they would be better together than they ever would apart. “Forget the First Order, Ben. We could build a new order, an order where Force users are powerful again. We could seize control of the First Order, take out the imbeciles like Hux. The galaxy would be ours.”

He shook his head, he was still looking at her like she was some vile creature, “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Rey sighed, he was stubborn just like she was, “I’m afraid you don’t have much of a choice. Either come with me willingly or I take you by force, and I would prefer it to be willingly, but I’m fine with either.”

An explosion went off above their heads and Rey began cursing. Her momentary distraction gave Ben the out he needed while Rey went for her communicator. He shoved her into the wall looking into her eyes as she gazed up at him, “Even if you take me by force I will never fully comply. I will always fight you. I will never join you.” With that, he ran from her.

She narrowed her eyes, but decided not to pursue him just yet, “Are you idiots here?” She hissed into the communicator. She had to find out what that explosion was.

“Yes, Master Rey,” came a response. “Hux heard that the Resistance was on their way to Maz's castle on Takodana, he ordered a squadron to head to there immediately in order to help find the droid and offer backup to you.”

Rey almost crushed her communicator, “Tell General Hux that I want a word with him as soon as I return.”

“Right away,” she could practically see the stormtrooper shaking at her command.

For now she had to worry about finding Ben Solo again and the damn droid before the Resistance could get to them. If she had to choose between the two she would take Ben over the map to Skywalker. With the two of them together Luke Skywalker would be no match for them and the Resistance would lose their spark of hope in the galaxy. She and Ben would have free reign to seize control and rule the way they saw fit. No more hiding in the shadows, no more First Order, and certainly no more Snoke. The galaxy would be all the better with her and Ben sitting on the throne.

Images of her sitting upon a throne, Ben beneath her came to mind. They were flashes from a vision she had had a long time ago. She could clearly see the two of them upon this throne of stone, ancient markings carved into the worn surface. Ben's arms were wrapped around her possessively, daring anyone to take what was his. The thought had sent a thrill through her at the time, they belonged to each other and nothing could ever change that. She could almost feel his warmth beneath her, his hair between her fingers, his lips on her neck. Oh yes, ruling the galaxy with Ben Solo looked promising, she just needed to get him to see it as well. 

She snapped out of her momentary daze and went rushing up the stairs only to be stopped by Maz Kanata herself, “Rey, child, what has happened to you?”

Rey sneered at Maz, “Don’t act as if you know me. No one does, now move out of my way.”

Rey went to go around Maz, but she stopped Rey again, “The hatred that is fracturing your soul won’t be solved by killing Skywalker or turning Ben Solo. No one but you can fix that Rey. Let the Force guide you, there is still hope.”

Rey yanked her arm out of Maz’s grip, “There is no hope for me.” Then she pushed her way into the crowd of people who were panicking over the warzone outside.

Stormtroopers were on the ground looking for the droid and any signs of the traitor and Ben Solo. Rey reached out with her feelings searching for Ben’s familiar presence, she could feel him close by. Opening her eyes she let her feelings guide her to him. It was almost as if they were connected by a rope and all she had to do was keep tugging on it until she was close to him again.

She would get Ben Solo to turn, even if it was the last thing she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy this chapter! I'm trying to diverge from the movies because I have so many different ideas, but I'm going to follow TFA and then probably go off in a different direction from there.


	7. Chapter Seven ~ Ben

Years of wondering who was the one trying to contact him. Hearing her voice inside his head. The small woman before him at Maz’s castle hadn’t been what he was expecting. He had been expecting someone older, someone who… appeared more evil? Was that the world he was looking for?  The woman who had stood before him had seemed almost normal. She didn’t seem like the type that would be whispering into his mind and trying to get him to turn. And what was with that vision they had both shared? 

Ben’s head was spinning as he dove into the forest, BB-8 following closely behind him. He just needed to get away from the chaos and clear his mind. He hadn’t even realized that he was still holding his grandfather’s saber in his hands. He hadn’t had time to even drop it or give it to Maz on his way out.

The woods were calmer compared to the warzone he had just left. Resistance and First Order fighters were battling it out in the sky as stormtroopers had landed trying to locate BB-8 and possibly him, he realized. He wasn’t foolish enough to think that they wouldn’t be after him as well. Rey had made it clear she wanted him to join her at the First Order.

“Stop fighting it,” he whirled at the sound of her voice. “Stop cutting yourself off from it,” she was a few feet from him, an emotionless expression on her face.

“I thought I made it clear that I had no intentions of joining you,” he seethed as BB-8 hid behind him.

“And I thought I told you whether of your own free will or by force you would join me,” she fired back. “Ben, just open your mind. You saw that vision, something is coming, we’re stronger together.” 

“Why? How do you know that we’ll be stronger together?” He didn’t know why she kept insisting that they would be stronger together. Was it just because he was from the Skywalker line? Was it because of who his mother and uncle were?

She moved closer to him, no tricks to get him to stay in place, he wasn’t going to run this time. He was curious and she intended to use that to her advantage. She gently reached out and lifted his hand so that his palm was facing her and she gently pressed her hand to his. “The Force, for whatever reason, is connecting us. You and I, we can be so much more together than we ever could be apart. I’ve been searching for you for a long time, Ben Solo. Join me, help me rule the galaxy.”

Ben stared into her eyes, this woman he barely knew and she was already asking him to rule the galaxy with her. There was desperation laced in her voice, she needed him more than he needed her, that he was damn sure of. “Do you really think I’m going to fall for that, sweetheart?” He pulled his hand away from her and ignited the saber. “I’m never turning to the darkside, I refuse to be like my grandfather.”

He could see the frustration on her face now, her neutral expression fading away, “Ben, I can help you. I know your pain, I know how you’ve been feeling all these years cut off from the Force. I’m not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you.”

“But you’re going to hurt others,” he told her. “I’m not in the habit of destroying people or going on murderous rampages. I know who you are and what you stand for, Rey. I’ve heard the stories about you. You were my uncle’s best student, and then you destroyed his training temple and joined Snoke. Nothing you can say or do will ever make me join you.”

He watched as she unattached her saber from her hip, this time only one end ignited, the blade glowing blood red. Ben wondered what color the kyber crystals had been before they bled into the blood red they were now. “Your uncle isn’t as amazing as everyone made him out to be. The Jedi need to die, Ben. They’re nothing. We could bring true balance to the galaxy if only you would listen and stop being so damn stubborn with me! There is a bigger picture here that you're refusing to see because of some archaic ideologies that the Jedi once held. Together we can start anew.”

“BB-8, go hide and wait for me,” Ben instructed BB-8, he wasn't going to listen to Rey anymore and he needed BB-8 to get to safety. Then he charged at Rey, his grandfather’s saber coming down to meet hers.

The two of them strained against one another, trying to break contact. “You need me,” Rey urged him. “I can help.”

“I don’t need anyone,” he hissed as he managed to shove her back. 

Rey came at him again, swinging her saber in a more skilled manner than his crude attempt at an attack. She was stronger than he was, and he knew she could easily beat him if she wanted too. He wasn’t trying to best her in the fight, he just needed her distracted long enough so that BB-8 could get away. The distance sounds of fighting were slowing down, the TIE Fighters retreating as the Resistance overpowered them. It wouldn't be long now before someone hopefully found him. 

Rey’s patience was growing thin and he knew this from the way she gritted her teeth and how her attacks became more forceful. He was hoping his hunches were right and she wouldn’t kill him. If what she was saying was true then she wouldn’t harm him mortally. Ben continued to block her attacks until she let out a frustrated scream and froze him.  “That is enough!” She was starting to sweat, tendrils of her hair escaping from the bun she had her hair in. “You’re coming with me,” and before he could respond she was waving her hand in front of his face, the world going dark.

BB-8 watched from behind a tree as Ben fought Rey. Their lightsabers crashing together and making BB-8 nervous that Ben was going to make the wrong move and get himself killed or seriously injured. The droid knew that he should keep going and find the others like Ben had instructed, but he also needed to make sure that Ben made it out of this alive.

Finally, the woman that Ben was fighting stopped and knocked Ben out. BB-8 went to go after her as she lifted Ben up with her Force abilities and began carting him off to her ship, but he knew that if he did that then the First Order would have the map. Torn between following Ben and going back to the others he stayed where he was for a moment longer.

When both Ben and Rey were no longer in sight BB-8 went to find Han, Chewie, and Finn hoping that none of them had been killed in the fighting. BB-8 discovered that the castle where Maz resided was in rubble and he saw Finn and Han with Chewie and Leia, both of them still alive. He began beeping happily that his other friends were still alive and rushed to go to them.  He beeped and beeped trying to get their attention and when he did Han’s and Finn’s faces fell when there was no sign of Ben. “Where is he?” Finn asked as his eyes followed the trail that BB-8 had come from, Finn hoped to see his friend, but there was no sign of Ben anywhere.

BB-8 continued to beep telling them what he had seen, but the group couldn’t understand him. “We need to get him back to the Resistance, Poe will tell us what he’s saying,” Leia said, she worried about her son, but they needed to figure out what had happened before panic actually set in. Her son was strong and she had to trust that he was going to be okay.

Poe was still alive, the mention of Poe’s name made BB-8 relax, but his mind was currently on saving Ben. He followed Leia onto her ship while Han, Chewie, and Finn went back to the Falcon to follow the rest of the Resistance ships. 

Ben woke up in a darkened room strapped to a chair. In front of him was Rey, she wasn’t wearing the same clothes she had been on Takodana, and he couldn’t see her face for the mask she wore. He tried to move his arms, but they were secured too tightly. His eyes went back to Rey, glaring at her as the fog in his mind began to lessen and he regained more mental control.  “Really? You mind tricked me?” He had never wished more in his life that he could use his Force abilities than in that moment.

Rey stood up and removed her helmet, her hair flowing down to her shoulders. Her face was blank, not revealing anything she was feeling. “How else was I supposed to get you here? You weren’t listening and you weren’t willing to come of your own free will.”

“Most people would have taken the hint and left me alone,” he ground out.

She leaned against the chair, one of her hands reaching up to brush a strand of his hair away from his eyes, “You’re too important to me to leave you alone. Ever since I came into my abilities I’ve sensed you. Knew you were out there, that we had this connection. I’ve been waiting for this day for some time now.”

Ben continued to glare at her, “Well I can’t say I’ve been feeling the same about you.” She hovered her hand just inches from his head, “Tell me where the Resistance is, I don’t want to force it out of you, Ben. I want to work with you, not against. So I’m giving you a chance to offer the information up willingly.”

Ben stared into her eyes, they were the prettiest shade of hazel he had ever seen. He tore his mind away from that train of thought, he couldn’t allow himself to think of her as attractive, she had captured him, she was the enemy. “I’m not giving you anything,” he told her.

She heaved a sigh, she had expected this result, but she had hoped he would comply. “All right, be that way. I’ll try to make this quick.” She closed her eyes and began to probe his mind for any useful information. 

Ben felt her going through her memories and locating each and every moment over the past couple of days. Something inside him began to shift and he felt her. He felt how conflicted she was inside. The Light and Darkside warring within her. Why was someone who was supposedly so committed to the Darkside feeling so conflicted?

“Get out of my head,” he growled and with some effort shoved her back mentally. He felt her presence leave and her eyes flew open, staring at him in utter shock.

“How?” She whispered. “You’re untrained.”

“I told you I wasn’t going to make this easy on you,” he told her.

She backed away from him and headed for the door to the interrogation room. She spared one last look at him, her mind racing before she disappeared from his sight. He let out a little breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding before trying to figure out what his next move would be. If he could get to a hanger he could steal one of the ships and try to get somewhere that he could barter for passage or a new ship.

A stormtrooper entered the room and took up a sentinel position by the door, no doubt having been ordered by Rey to watch over him to make sure that he didn’t go anywhere. Where was he going to go though? He was strapped to a chair with no way out.

The idea hit him pretty hard. He had heard his uncle talk about mind persuasion before. If he could convince the guard to let him go then he could escape. He didn’t know if it would work, but it was worth a try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited about where the story could go from here once we get out of TFA territory. I will tell y'all that Ben almost goes with Rey when Starkiller base gets destroyed, but I decided not to have them go together... yet. Enjoy!


	8. Chapter Eight ~ Rey

Rey stormed onto the Starkiller base, General Hux had gone there in order to destroy the Republic planets to send a message to the galaxy that the First Order was not to be trifled with. She hadn’t had a clue that he had been planning this, and when the event had occurred she and Ben had been in the Force vision together. Rey knew that General Hux was growing desperate to take out the Resistance and their allies, but she thought that he was being rash about this. 

Anger pulsed through her veins as she thought about coming face to face with him after the disastrous mission that had gone down on Takodana. About how he could have potentially ruined her entire mission. He had had it out for her ever since the two of them had met. Rey knew that General Hux had a certain prejudice against Force users, he’d rather see them be wiped out than risk them rising up against him. Rey wasn’t about to let him have his way.

She ordered a group of stormtroopers to take Ben to one of the interrogation rooms, but not to harm him. They didn’t question it or her as she angrily headed deeper into the base to find General Hux. She couldn’t believe that he had gone against her orders and come to Takodana. She had everything planned and he had to go and fuck things up for her.

He was in the main operations room when she arrived, the other officers froze as they sensed her displeasure and glanced nervously at each other. None of them wanted to be on the receiving end of Rey’s wrath, and if they could have she was sure they would have all gotten up and left the room. “General Hux,” she seethed, he turned around slowly and gave her a look of boredom and disdain, clearly not caring that she was furious with him. “I specifically said not to come to Takodana unless I called for aid. You deliberately disobeyed my orders and jeopardized my mission!”

General Hux sneered and said, “The Resistance was coming and no one had heard from you. I made a call in an effort to get the droid so we can carry out the mission of eliminating Luke Skywalker.”

Rey clenched her fists trying to decide it would be worth it to hit him or Force choke him. “I was doing just fine by myself. I could have handled things and gone undetected. Now the Resistance probably has the droid and all we have is Ben Solo!”

“Well then, I suppose you should try to figure out where the rebels are hiding, then you can get the droid and find your old master,” then he turned around and began barking orders to the others, clearly dismissing her.

The urge to reach out and Force choke him was now all the more tempting, but General Hux was correct about one thing: Ben Solo knew where the Resistance base was and if she had any hope of getting the rest of the map it lied with him.

She left the main operations and made her way to the interrogation room where she tried to get information out of Ben. He was stubborn though, all her attempts to lure him to her side weren’t working. She wondered what it would take to get him to trust her?

As she probed his mind she could feel her connection to him, it was stronger now that they were closer, their Force signatures mingling together. Rey could see bits and pieces of his journey with BB-8, she could feel where he kept his Force abilities at bay. He wanted to keep them locked up inside of him rather than face was he was. She focused on the Force as tried to coax it out of him. He didn’t need to be afraid of it, she could see that there was light and darkness inside of him, that he was afraid of letting the darkness take over.

She was almost done when he shoved her out of his mind. Her eyes flew open, “How?” Her words were barely a whisper, the shock of him shoving her out completely throwing her through a loop. “You’re untrained,” what he had done shouldn’t be possible with someone as adept at using her abilities as she was.

“I told you I wasn’t going to make this easy on you,” he narrowed his eyes at her.

Her mind was racing and she began backing away from him. There was no way he could have known how to do that. It shouldn’t have been possible. Those thoughts were repeating on a loop in her head as she headed for the door. Before she exited though she spared one last look at Ben Solo before rushing down the hall.

She needed to speak to Supreme Leader Snoke about this. She needed his advice on how to handle this, how to proceed from here.

She entered the chamber where Supreme Leader Snoke’s hologram was waiting. “What is it now, Rey?”

“He managed to resist me, Supreme Leader. That idiot Hux messed up my chances at getting the droid and Solo. To rectify General Hux’s blunder I’ve been trying to get inside Solo’s mind that way I’ll know where the Resistance is and killed two birds with one stone. Except he resisted me. He’s untrained, this shouldn’t be possible.”

Supreme Leader Snoke leaned back in his chair, a pensive look on his face, “Bring Solo to me, we knew he would be strong, but to be this strong and so untrained is practically unheard. I’ll get what we need from him.”

She bowed, “Yes Supreme Leader. I’ll leave at once.” Turning she headed out of the room to go back to the interrogation room where she thought Ben would still be waiting. When she stepped into the hall though she was met with a different scenario.

“Master Rey, Solo has escaped,” one of the stormtroopers approached her.

“He’s what?” The deathly calmness to her tone made the stormtrooper backed up a few paces. 

“The stormtrooper that was watching him was found in the barracks, he was confused as to how he got there. When a patrol went to check on Solo, he was gone.”

She growled and yelled, “Bring the stormtrooper to me and find Ben Solo!” The stormtrooper ran the second he saw her go for her saber, both ends igniting as she took out her anger and frustrations on the chair where Ben had been minutes before. 

There was no way that someone as untrained as Ben could have been able to do this. She hadn’t been this adept at it when she had begun her training. Even given the fact that Ben was from the Skywalker line it shouldn’t have been possible. Whatever bond they shared with one another must have given him the abilities to do this. It was the only possible explanation for what had happened. She had felt the connection grow stronger as she had searched his mind for the answers she sought. 

“Master Rey, the stormtrooper,” another stormtrooper shoved FN-1824 forward.

Rey shut her saber off and dragged FN-1824 closer to her via the Force. “What happened with Ben Solo?”

“I don’t know!” The stormtrooper told her, the panic evident in his voice. “One moment I’m guarding him, the next thing I know he’s gone and I’m in my barracks. I swear Master Rey, I didn’t let him leave on my own free will. He did something to me.”

She hissed and shoved him against a wall knocking him out, “Don’t let him escape in a ship, he’ll head to one of the hangers first. Make sure he doesn’t leave this base, I need him alive and unharmed.” The stormtrooper quickly agreed and left. Rey closed her eyes and searched for Ben, there were so many different energy signatures on the base.

She found Ben, exactly where she thought he would be. He was climbing a wall near one of the ship hangers, trying to avoid detection from the stormtroopers milling around. Spinning on her heel Rey went there directly. She wasn’t going to allow him to escape just like that. She still had plans for him and her, and she was determined to get him to see things her way.

She had almost made it to him when she suddenly paused. Something didn’t feel right, she sensed the traitor known as FN-2187, Han Solo, and Chewbacca. They had managed to make it onto the base without being detected. They had come for Ben, and she would be damned if she let them mess up her plans.

Taking a detour she headed in the direction which she felt their signatures. When she arrived at the Falcon she found no signs of life, the landing party had obviously made their way toward the base and were most likely already inside. What was the use of it being a secure base if a rogue stormtrooper, a smuggler, and a Wookie could sneak inside? 

“Find them!” She snapped at the men with her.

As the stormtroopers scrambled to do as she had commanded the thoughts of a clone arm came to her mind again. They would be much more useful to her than these stormtroopers. Maybe Supreme Leader Snoke would listen to her and order an army of clones. Maybe she could shove it in Hux’s face as his stormtrooper army came crumbling down around him. That thought pleased her immensely, but it would have to wait until the current situation had been dealt with properly.

She hurried back into the base and followed the pull she felt toward Ben, the Force leading her through the base and toward the base’s thermal oscillator. There she headed out onto the catwalk, the room was nearly silent as she glanced around. Ben Solo was in this space. “I know you’re here,” she called, her voice echoing across the cavernous space. “I can feel you.”

The pull was coming from behind her now and when she turned Ben was at the other end of the catwalk, his father, Chewbacca, and the traitor standing a few feet behind him. “What’s it going to take for you to leave me be?”

A smile tugged at her lips, “Death more than likely, but then again I'll probably always be with you. We're tied together now and forever, you can't get rid of me that easily.”

“Sorry sweetheart, I'm not buying into the idea that we're tied together. Our fate may be tied together, but not in the way you think,” without warning he lifted the blaster and shot her in the side. Rey felt pain blossom on the side that Ben had shot her and she fell to her knees, her eyes still locked on Ben’s before he turned and ran from the room with the others. She couldn't decipher the look that had been in his eyes as he had stared at her. It was almost like a mixture of disbelief and remorse. 

Forcing herself to her feet she clutched her side and followed after them, hellbent on not letting him go again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of hitting over 1K hits, I wanted to celebrate by posting another chapter! Enjoy!


	9. Chapter Nine ~ Ben

When the stormtrooper had let Ben go and handed over his weapon without questions Ben hadn’t waited around to question it. He just thanked whatever deity that was watching over him and made his way down the halls of the base. He knew he wasn’t on a Star Destroyer, with his awakening Force abilities he could feel the life of the planet. After being cut off from the Force for so long he had forgotten what it felt like to let it flow through him.

Somehow Rey had managed to wake up his dormant abilities, things that he had forgotten about. But he could feel a pull towards her, like something had been anchored there. He didn’t like that he was vaguely aware of her presence and how she was looking for him. There was something else, he sensed his father and Finn. They were here and they were looking for him.

He made his way through the base following his father’s Force signature until he round a corner and almost ran into Finn. “Ben!” Finn threw his arms around Ben. “I wasn’t sure we’d find you all right! BB-8 told us that you had been kidnapped by Rey.”

Han gently pushed Finn out of the way and check his son over carefully. “You good kid?”

Ben nodded, “I’m fine, Dad. They didn’t do anything to me, just asked me some questions.” He didn’t want to tell them the truth, what Rey had told him, what he had done, and that he now had some strange connection to Rey. He didn’t need to worry them further.

“We need to go, the Resistance is on their way here and we need to set these charges to blow a hole in the oscillator,” Han told Ben. “Then we need to get the hell off this planet.”

The four of them rushed off, Finn leading the way to the oscillator. They had just begun setting the charges when the pull toward Rey intensified. He heard her voice then, “I know you’re here! I can feel you!”

He turned and saw her standing in the center of the catwalk. Finn also looked from Ben to her then back to him. Ben took a step forward, but Finn grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?” He hissed.

Ben held up his hand and pulled out of Finn’s grasp. “What’s it going to take for you to leave me be?”

She turned and he saw the smile on her face, he wanted to go to her, that connection urging him to do so. “Death more than likely, but then again I'll probably always be with you. We're tied together now and forever, you can't get rid of me that easily.”

“Sorry sweetheart, I'm not buying into the idea that we're tied together. Our fate may be tied together, but not in the way you think,” before he could think about what he was doing, he lifted the blaster that he had gotten from the stormtrooper and shot her in the side. He should have gone for somewhere fatal, but there was a part of him that couldn’t. When her eyes met his, he could see the betrayal there, and for some reason he felt regretful for what he had done. Turning, he fled from the thermal oscillator with his dad and the others. He forced himself not to glance back as they did, he couldn’t look her in the eyes.

“She’s going to follow us,” Finn said as they made their way through the snow. Above them it was a war zone as Resistance and First Order pilots dueled together. Ben could hear the explosions going off above, but kept his eyes ahead, he didn’t want to see what was happening there.

“Finn, Dad, Chewie, I need you all to head back to the Falcon and wait for me there. Finn’s right, she’s not going to let me go. I’ll hold her off and catch up when I can. If you have to leave me behind,” Ben told them.

Han shook his head, “I’m not leaving you alone with that madwoman.”

Ben placed a hand on his dad’s shoulders, “It’ll be all right. I promise that I know what I’m doing.” Or at least he hoped he knew what he was doing. “Just go, she won’t follow you.”

Finn looked like he wanted to protest, he had just gotten his friend back and he wasn’t about to let him go off and fight Rey by himself. Han merely tugged Finn by his jacket, trusting that his son would be okay. Han wasn’t sure what was going on exactly, but he knew that whatever it was Ben had to do it alone.

Ben went in the opposite direction from the group, wanting to draw Rey as far away from them as possible. He could feel their connection, almost as if she were tugging on it trying to reach him quicker. The forest was near silent and Ben realized that it was the same forest from the Force vision on Takodana. The thought crossed his mind that the lightsaber duel the two of them had heard could have been the two of them battling each other. He wondered who would come out victorious.

“When will you learn that I don’t want to hurt you, Ben,” her voice drifted through the trees and he spun in circles trying to locate her. “I need you, just like you need me.”

“I don’t need anyone,” Ben called back to her. “And I certainly don’t need you.”

“You haven’t seen what I’ve seen,” she materialized in front of him, coming out of the shadows. Her saber along with his grandfather’s was strapped to her belt, her palms were facing him as if trying to tell him she wasn’t a threat, but he knew better. “Together we will sit on a throne, we will rule the galaxy. Your grandfather was supposed to bring balance to this galaxy, order to an already chaotic climate. We can finish what he started, what he tried to do.”

“My grandfather let the darkside consume him, he destroyed his family and the ones he loved the most. I won’t do the same or follow in his footsteps,” Ben knew that in the end his grandfather had redeemed himself, that he wanted to make up for what he had done, but Ben didn’t want to risk falling prey to the same things his grandfather had.

“Anakin Skywalker was led astray by Palpatine, we won’t be. Ben, we can create a better world. The people of the galaxy will come to revere us as gods,” she came closer to him. “No more hiding in the shadows. No more Sith, no more Jedi, no more First Order. Just us and the ones that will come after.”

“And what about those that oppose our rule? Normal people, who don’t want to be ruled by two rulers? What happens to them?”

Rey frowned, “We kill them, anyone that opposes us, who doesn’t meet our vision. The galaxy will be better.” She held out her hand to him again, “Please Ben, join me. Help me bring order to the galaxy. Complete what your grandfather started.”

Ben glanced at her hand, and slowly lifted his hand as if he were going to take hers. Then he called for his grandfather’s saber, it flew to him and ignited almost as soon as he had it in his grasp. “I’m not on the side of killing innocent people. For the last time, I won’t join you.”

Rey let out a disappointed sigh, she reached for her saber and ignited both ends, “You can’t escape destiny, Ben. I’ve seen our destiny, we are tied together.”

He came at her, his saber and hers clashing together. He wasn’t going to let her win this time, he was going to stop her before whatever she had planned could happen. As the two of them fought Ben could clearly tell he was outmatched, but she wasn’t fighting back, she was merely defending herself.

“I can teach you so much, Ben,” she said as they came together. They were inches from them, the glow from their blades illuminating their faces in a purplish-blue glow. 

His eyes were locked on hers, “I don’t need a teacher.” With a push, he managed to shove her back and he turned, darting through the trees.

Rey managed to recover and went chasing after him. Ben glanced back and saw her gaining on him. Taking the saber he sliced through one of the trees causing it to fall right in her path. She barely managed to skid to a stop before it could land inches from her. Ben didn’t dare look back again, not wanting to see how close she was, he just kept cutting down trees hoping to slow her progress as he zig-zagged through the forest.

He was almost back to where the Falcon was when the planet started to shake beneath his feet. He stopped and tried to maintain his balance. He felt a hand on his arm and looked down to see Rey there. “The planet is collapsing,” she informed him. “Your precious Resistance managed to do whatever it is they were trying to accomplish. We need to get off of the planet.”

Ben couldn’t agree more and he took advantage of her momentary distraction to come at her with the lightsaber, she easily blocked it, but he could tell she hadn’t been ready for the attack. “I couldn’t agree more, sweetheart.” He came at her again, but she was losing energy, her wound making her movements slower. He advanced until he managed to bring the lightsaber up and across her face, leaving a gash in its wake. Ben stopped once he saw that she was down. “Until next time,” he gave her a two finger salute and headed in the direction of the Falcon.

He wondered if she was going to make it off the planet, and for a moment he considered going back for her. He quickly shook that thought from his head, she was determined and he knew that she was going to make it. Even if he did go back for her he wasn’t sure how he was going to explain it to Finn and the others. They would likely think that he was crazy for bringing the enemy with him, not to mention the enemy he himself had shot and sliced open with the lightsaber. Why injure her if he was only going to heal her? 

The Falcon was coming into view and Ben could see Finn waiting for him on the ramp. His new friend’s face instantly went from a worried expression to one of relief. “I didn’t think you were going to make it,” he confessed as the two of them hurried inside.

“Thanks, man,” Ben slapped Finn on the back and shouted to his dad to get the hell off the planet before it collapsed around them. He made his way to the cockpit where Han and Chewie were working to get the Falcon in the air. “Any issues getting back here?”

Han grunted, “No more than usual. I was just about to come look for you, kid. What the hell took you so long?”

“Oh just fighting off a homicidal maniac, the usual,” Ben quipped. The Falcon was now in the air and getting ready to jump to lightspeed. “Let’s get back to the base.” Ben left his dad and Chewie to rejoin Finn in the lounge, his mind drifted to Rey and wondering if she had gotten off the planet. The connection he had to her told him that she was still out there, she hadn’t been destroyed along with the planet.

He heard her laugh in his head followed by, _You can’t get rid of me that easily, Solo. I’m tougher than I look._

 _Oh, I don't doubt that, sweetheart._ He leaned back in his chair and tried to listen to Finn ramble on about their rescue mission, but he couldn’t help as his mind wandered to wherever Rey was and what their next encounter together would be like.


	10. Chapter Ten ~ Rey

Coruscant was once the home of the Jedi High Temple, but now the temple lay abandoned among the still bustling streets of the city. Rey had often searched for refuge there when she was not on assignment. She didn’t know why she was so drawn to the Jedi High Temple or what it was that made her feel safe there. She hated the Jedi.

Maybe it was knowing that they were no longer in power, maybe it was because the Force was still strong there. She would never know for sure.

It had been several days since Starkiller Base had been destroyed by the Resistance. Rey was still in minor pain over the wounds that Ben had given her. The wounds were going to scar, but she didn’t care much about that. She had been more worried about how Snoke was going to react. He hadn’t been pleased that Ben had been able to best her and escape with his father and the traitor. That was one of the reasons that she had escaped to Coruscant. She needed time to get her thoughts together and to collect herself without any interruptions. 

Her footsteps echoed off the walls as she made her way down the main corridor toward the upper levels where the Jedi High Council used to hold their meetings. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw movement, but when she turned her head there was no one there. Brushing it off she kept going, climbing higher and higher until she was in the inner sanctum where chairs had once laid toppled over and dust had covered every surface.

Outside the windows it was dark, but the city wasn’t sleeping yet. People moved to and fro through the air and along the streets. Rey watched them before slowly sinking into one of the chairs. She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes, she could feel her stress melting away and she reached out in search of Ben.

He was out there, somewhere in the galaxy, moving from place to place in search of something, more than likely his uncle. She tugged on their bond trying to get him to pay attention to her, but he had managed to block her out for the most part. She felt him shove her back with his mental blocks and she huffed in annoyance.

“All right, flyboy have it your way,” she muttered to herself before opening her eyes and letting out a startled yelp, nearly falling off the seat she was resting on. Situated in front of her was a man with a blue aura surrounding him. He was somewhat see-through and Rey surmised that he was a Force ghost. “Who are you?” She asked not bothering to draw her saber, with him it would be of no use. He wasn’t a corporeal form and therefore her saber would do no good against him. 

The man cocked his head to the side and Rey could see a fond smile gracing his lips, “You’re just like someone I once knew.” His accent was similar to Rey’s, she wondered where he had come from when he still walked amongst the living. He reached up and stroked his beard, his eyes still focused on her, “Tell me, Rey, why do you come to the Jedi High Temple?”

“I asked you a question first,” she shot back. “Who are you?”

The man chuckled, “I once went by the name Obi-Wan Kenobi before I was known as Ben. The namesake for the man you seem to be chasing so desperately across the galaxy though you don’t know why.”

Rey narrowed her eyes, “You were one of the Jedi that escaped Order 66.”

The small smile that had graced Obi-Wan’s lips moments before slowly vanished and his eyes became haunted, “Yes, I was.” He stood and walked to the windows, Coruscant had changed since he had last seen it. Times had changed. “I among a handful of others managed to slip away while many of us fell. It was a dark time.”

“It led to Vader taking control of the galaxy and the rise of the Empire,” Rey continued still situated on her seat watching Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan turned his head slightly to glance at her, “Tell me, did Luke tell you that or did Snoke?”

Rey pursed her lips and stood, “I don’t want to talk about Luke Skywalker.”

Obi-Wan’s voice stopped Rey, “Do you remember what happened that night?” She turned, her hand reaching for the door, Obi-Wan’s eyes were fully on her now, a pained expression on his face. “Do you know why Snoke came for you?”

Rey clenched her fists together and thought back on the night Luke’s temple was destroyed.

_ The day had been normal enough, she had gotten up, trained, ate dinner with the other padawans, and headed back to her small hut. She had begun building her saber weeks ago and couldn’t wait to put the finishing touches on it that night. Luke had given her all kinds of parts for it and told her that when she was ready she could begin building it. Her saber was meant to be a double-bladed saber, uncommon, but something inside her told her to make it, and she had found two kyber crystals, Luke had no qualms with letting her build it if that is what her gut was telling her to do. She couldn’t wait to show her master the finished staff, her excitement was almost tangible to those around her, the Force pouring off her in waves. _

_ Luke had noticed that she had seemed happier in the past few days than the dark and moody spell she had been under. He knew that Rey struggled with the darkside, but he was hoping she was getting better at reigning it in. He had faith that she would become one of the best students he would ever train. _

_ Rey was happy because it had been several days since she had heard the voices in her mind. She thought that maybe they were gone for good, but her hopes were dashed. The lightsaber was laying in pieces in front of her when she felt the whispers of another presence near her. Her eyes fell shut and her hands came to cover her ears.  _

_ “No, no, no,” she murmured over and over again. “Stay out of my head!” _

_ Luke had heard her screams as he was doing his nightly rounds to check on his students. He recognized Rey’s voice and had come closer worried that someone was trying to harm his young student. “Rey? Are you all right?” He opened the door and saw that she was floating in midair the furniture in the room rising from the floor with her. “Rey!” _

_ Rey opened her eyes, they were yellow with a red-tinged rim. The eyes of a Sith. “Get out!” Rey had screamed and Luke was thrown backward. _

_ Luke struggled to get up and saw Rey stalking toward him, her saber was in her hand, both ends ignited. The blades were white, but they slowed started to bleed into red, her eyes still the yellow and red of a Sith. “Rey, please,” he begged. “What’s wrong? Let me help you!” _

_ “You’re weak, Skywalker,” her voice wasn’t her own, he could hear the voice of another mixed with hers. “Did you really think that you had seen the last of me?” _

_ That voice, Rey didn’t know who it was, but from the look on Luke’s face he did, and he was scared. From there Rey remembered the training temple catching on fire, a handful of Luke’s students coming to get her as Snoke’s men flooded the area and killed the remaining students. Rey’s eyes had gone back to normal, the darkness that had overpowered her gone. _

_ She huddled in the corner of the ship that she was in, scared of what was going on and what had just happened. The other students that she was with were older boys. She didn’t know them well. They were ahead in their training than she was. They were looking at her with questioning gazes. She knew that they were wondering why she was with them, wondering what made her so special. She was wondering the same thing. Why was the voice in her head targeting her like it was?  _

_ She waited for Luke to come and save her, prayed that she would be taken away from Snoke, but he never came for her as he did on Jakku. As she grew and learned more about her powers, about the darkside, she grew more and more bitter toward the world. The abuse she endured because of Snoke hardening her heart. _

_ The one bright spot in her miserable life had been her visions of Ben. Of not being alone anymore. She already knew that he was older than her, she didn’t know his name until she had asked Snoke. It had taken all her courage to ask why she was having visions of a man, Snoke peering into her mind and laughing when he realized who she was seeing. _

_ A few months after she had learned about who Ben was, she learned that her old master had disappeared. Run off like a coward, that was the day she truly knew she was alone and stranded until she could find Ben Solo. She didn’t care that he was Luke’s nephew, all she cared about was that he was alive and out there somewhere. _

“Rey,” Obi-Wan was in front of her now, a concerned look on her face. “That night wasn’t your fault. There was nothing you could have done to stop what was happening. Not even Luke could have helped you.”

She gritted her teeth and glared up at him before turning and storming from the room, “I don’t care why you’ve shown yourself to me, but I’d appreciate it if you’d leave me be.” She felt his hand on her arm and she whirled, her free hand reaching for the saber attached to her hip, “Unhand me.”

“Please, Rey,” he said in a pleading tone. “Just listen to what I have to say.” He slowly released her arm when she made no comments or moves to leave. “Follow me, there’s something that I need to show you.”

Rey reluctantly followed Obi-Wan down the corridor to a separate part of the Jedi’s inner sanctum that she had never explored before. In fact, she hadn’t even realized that it was there. The wall had a hidden door that only people with an intimate knowledge of the building would know was there.

Obi-Wan and Rey headed down a flight of stairs, there were soft lights glowing on either side of them, it was enough to light the way down. The stairs came to an end and Obi-Wan motioned for Rey to step ahead of him. “This isn’t a trap is it?” She glanced at him skeptically. It would make sense for him to spring a trap on her, she was all alone, no one knew where she was.

“No trap,” he said with a shake of his head. “This room that I’m about to show you hasn’t been used in years, most people didn’t even know it existed, only the high council knew it was here. We’ve protected its existence for years.”

“I’m the enemy though,” she said. 

“Are you?” Was all he said as he gently pushed the door open to reveal what lay beyond it.

Rey stepped inside, her heart hammering in her chest and her mouth hanging open slightly. What laid before her wasn’t what she had ever expected to see. She had heard whispers from her padawan days, rumors that still managed to survive to this day. But never did she expect that it would be true. 

She looked back at Obi-Wan, but he was no longer there. This time she stepped into the room and softly shut the door behind her. He knew that this was something she needed to do alone, or at least without him present.

“Hello Rey,” a female voice joined her this time. “Welcome to the Jedi’s hall of knowledge.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Place your guess, who is the mysterious woman speaking?


	11. Chapter Eleven ~ Ben

Ben arrived back at the Resistance base and was greeted by his mother. She gave him a large hug, grateful to see that her son was still in one piece. Next was Poe who Ben had been surprised to see still alive. He had thought that Poe had died when he and Finn crash-landed on Jakku.

“Buddy, you are a sight for sore eyes,” Poe said as he pulled Ben in for a hug.

Ben was still a little shocked to see Poe there, let alone be getting a hug from the pilot, but he returned the pilot's affection with an awkward pat on the back. “You too, Dameron. How did you manage to survive the crash? Finn thought you had died,” Ben was now staring at Poe, mentally going over everything to make sure that Poe was actually there with him and not a figment of his imagination.

Poe patted Ben on the shoulders, “I was thrown from the Fighter, good thing too because I doubt I would have survived otherwise.” He turned as someone called his name, “We’ll catch up later, Solo.”

“Yeah, later,” Ben murmured as Poe rushed off to see what the issue was.

Leia ushered Ben inside and took him to the med bay so that he could get looked at while she asked him questions about what happened. His mother had shooed the doctor out of the room once it was determined that nothing major was wrong. She informed the doctor that she would take care of any minor injuries that he may have. Ben was grateful to be alone with his mom.  “What happened, Ben?” She gripped his face between her fingers and checked him over for any scrapes or bruising.

Ben wondered how much he should tell his mother, “I was captured by Rey. She found us on Takodana, probably a bounty hunter there saw BB-8 and knew that the First Order wanted him. She came for me….” He hesitated, wanting to show her the saber that had called to him but wasn't sure if he should actually show her or not.

Leia sensed her son’s hesitation, knowing that there was more that he wasn’t sure if he should share with her or not. She gently placed her hand on top of his, “Ben, you know you can tell me anything. There's no judgment here.”

Her voice was so gentle and soft, just like it used to be when he was a child and heard the voice of the scary man. He reached behind him and pulled the saber out from his belt and showed it to her. “It called to me on Takodana. I shared a vision with Rey once I touched it. She said that we were connected and that she wanted me to join her so that we could rule the galaxy together and bring balance.”

Leia reached out with shaky fingers and lightly touched her father’s saber, her breath catching in her throat. It had been many years since she had seen it. “Where on earth did Maz find this?” She whispered mostly to herself.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask, before I could the Resistance and the First Order arrived and I was fighting Rey in the woods outside of Maz’s castle.” Ben stuck the lightsaber where he had it hidden before, his mother looked back up at him. “I need to get to Uncle Luke now, Rey’s awoken my abilities and I need to be more prepared because she isn’t going to stop until she has me.”

Leia took a seat and clasped her hands together in her lap, her brow furrowed, “Luke might be able to help you, but I don’t know if he will. When his temple was destroyed he retreated and made sure no one knew where they could find him.”

“Well we have part of the map to him, we’ll figure it out and I’ll find him,” Ben told her as he stood up and came to stand in front of her. “Hope’s not lost yet, Mom. I know Luke blames himself for what happened, but I’m going to make sure that he helps us.”

There was a knock on the med bay door and Finn poked his head inside. “Hey, R2D2 woke up, the others are asking for you, General.”

Ben helped his mother stand and they followed Finn to the main hub where R2D2 was chirping. “He’s saying that he has something important from Master Luke,” C3P0 translated for them.

R2D2 came to stand before all of them and then projected part of a map for them. Ben stared up at it, the middle section of the map missing. That was until BB-8 started to beep and came rolling over. The next thing Ben knew BB-8 was projecting the rest of the map alongside R2D2. Everyone in the room stared at it in awe.

Ben looked over at his mom, “Say the word and I’ll head to Luke.”

Leia nodded her head, “Pack your things. We’re planning on moving bases as it is, so find Luke and then rendezvous with us when you’re done.”

“I’ll go with you,” Finn spoke up.

Ben shook his head, “No, stay with the Resistance, this is something that I need to do on my own.” He gave his new friend a small smile when he saw the worried look, “I’ll be okay, Finn. I need to do this alone.”

Han clapped Finn on the back, “You can come with me and Poe, the Resistance needs new recruits and I’m going to need help convincing people to join up.”

Ben broke off from the group when the others were distracted and headed to his room. His mind was racing with the thoughts of what was to come. The war had become more real to him now. Before he had always known what was at stake, the freedom of the galaxy. But since Rey had waltzed her way into his life he could see that there was more at stake. He knew that he couldn’t just skirt by casually and go under the radar.

He shoved what few belongings he had into his bag and shouldered it. Looking around the room he let out a soft sigh. He had no emotional attachment to this room, there was nothing special about it or memories here, but he knew that once he walked through his door things couldn’t go back to how they had been. His life of skirting under the radar was over and he had to learn to accept that.

With one final glance he headed for the door and nearly collided with someone who was about to knock. The woman was so much shorter than Ben, he towered over her. He arched an eyebrow, he had seen her around the base, but he didn’t know her personally. “Uh, can I help you?”

The woman blinked rapidly like she hadn’t expected him to speak to her, “Oh, um, I was just…. I was sent by General Organa, she wanted me to give you this.” She held out a beacon. “It’s so you can find your way back to us once you finish your mission with Luke Skywalker.”

Ben took the beacon out of the woman’s hands and wrapped it around his wrist. “Thanks… what’s your name?”

“Rose Tico,” she said with a shy smile. “And you’re Ben Solo.”

He nodded his head a bit awkwardly, “Yep, that’s me. So thanks Rose, tell my mother I’ll contact her if there’s any issues.”

As he left her behind she managed to call out, “Good luck!” Before he disappeared around the corner, leaving Rose cursing herself for being so shy. Ben smiled to himself and shook his head, he hadn’t met Rose before but he liked her. She seemed honest and sweet, she hadn’t let the war get her down. 

Once outside the barracks Ben headed to the ship he would be using for his journey. R2D2 was already there and waiting for him, beeping in an almost annoyed way. “Yeah, yeah don’t fry an electrical circuit. I’m here.”

He closed the hatch to the ship and got into the pilot seat, his eyes drifting up to see his mother standing near one of the buildings that the Resistance used for various purposes. She smiled and raised a hand in farewell. He returned her gesture and then took off into the vastness of space. 

The ship was fairly quiet, R2D2 was behind him chirping and saying things that Ben only partly understood. He picked up that the droid was happy to be going back to Luke. It had been years since he had seen his old master and he couldn’t wait to get back to him. Ben couldn’t say that he was feeling the same way, but he could understand the droid’s excitement.

Ben moved through space as quickly as he could, narrowly missing First Order patrols as he went. There weren’t many the farther he got away from most known systems and then once he reached closer to where Luke was he no longer had to hold his breath as he went. 

Looking at the map leading him toward a planet known as Ahch-to Ben saw that he was quickly approaching and prepared for landing. The planet was mostly water, but there were a few islands scattered across the planet’s surface. On one of the larger islands is where his uncle had decided to call home.

R2D2 was chirping more now and Ben patted the top of the droid. Their journey was almost over and now it was up to Ben to convince his uncle to comeback. He wasn’t sure what kind of reception he was about to get, but he hoped it was a good one.

Ben landed his ship and got out, instructing R2D2 to stay where he was for the time being. The droid made a disapproving sound and Ben merely shrugged it off. R2D2 could be temperamental, but Ben needed to see his uncle first.

There were stone steps leading upwards, deeper into the island. Ben wasn’t particularly looking forward to the journey, but he soldiered on. The stairs led him to the top where there was a section of stone huts. He looked into each of them, but there was no sign of his uncle there.

He found another path and followed it until he reached an area of cliffs and there was his uncle, his back was to Ben and he was staring out over the choppy waters. “Uncle Luke?” Ben called out, relief surging through him at the sight of his uncle.

Luke turned and saw his nephew standing there, his brow furrowed, “Ben? What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to bring you back with me, Mom sent me. The Resistance needs you… I need you,” he admitted. “There’s so much that I need to tell you and some of it involves your previous student, Rey.”

Luke stiffened at the mention of Rey, the memory of the night his temple was destroyed just as fresh in his mind as if it had happened the day before. He shook his head, “Sorry to disappoint you, Ben, but I’m not leaving this island.”

Ben stepped closer, “What do you mean you’re not leaving? The galaxy needs you and you’re just going to hide here?”

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” he said. “I came here to die and that’s what I plan to do. The galaxy doesn’t need me, it just thinks it does because they think I’ll work a miracle and save them all. This isn’t a fairytale, Ben. I’m not the hero people believe me to be.”

Ben shook his head and narrowed his eyes at Luke, “Mom believes in you. She doesn’t expect a miracle all she wants is to bring hope to the galaxy. You are the hope that she’s been looking for.”

Luke came forward and passed Ben, “She’ll need to find someone else to be her hope. I’m just a has been.”

Ben watched his uncle go for a moment, completely stunned by what he was hearing. Then his brain caught up with him and hurried down the path after Luke. Ben hadn’t come all this way just for his uncle to retreat into one of the stone huts and refuse him. He wasn’t going to leave the island without his uncle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IASOS is almost as 2K hits and I honestly didn't expect it to get this much attention. I hope you all are enjoying it and thank you for all your comments, each of them makes me smile and they make my day. Thank you for your love and support!


	12. Chapter Twelve ~ Rey

“Ahsoka Tano,” Rey said, her voice quiet. “Anakin Skywalker’s padawan and one of the few Jedi to escape Order 66. Have you come to impart some wisdom upon me? Come to try and save my soul?”

Ahsoka eyed Rey, she could feel the hurt and pain that Rey was going through. “Why should I try and save someone who doesn’t want to save themselves? It seems like a waste of time to me.”

Rey straightened, that hadn’t been the response she had been expecting from the woman before her. “I was… not expecting that response.”

Ahsoka smiled and chuckled, “I know you weren’t, I’m not here to pacify you or tell you what to do. Something led you here and now it’s my duty to guide you to whatever it is.” Ahsoka gestured around the room where texts and other various artifacts were scattered. “So tell me, Rey, what is it that’s calling to you?”

Rey began wandering around the large room, her hand trailing across the books and scrolls stored along the shelves. She wasn’t sure why but it wasn’t the books or scrolls that were calling out to her. She walked toward the artifacts, there were robes, lightsabers, kyber crystals, and so many other items laid out before her. She came to a stop in front of two twin sabers. Rey paused, her eyes locked onto the sabers. “Who’s were these?” Rey’s voice was soft, she felt as though the air had left her body.

“They were mine,” Ahsoka stepped up beside her and gently took them off the pedestal that they were on. “I made them after I left the Jedi Order.” She handed the saber to Rey who took it and ignited it. The blade was devoid of color, it was pure white. Ahsoka noted Rey’s confusion and said, “White sabers are for those of us who are neither with the Jedi or the Sith. I was free of both sides, and in some ways, you could call me a Grey Jedi, but to be a true Grey Jedi, you must have been trained in both the light and darkside of the Force.”

Rey picked up the other saber and Ahsoka handed her the one that she had in her hands. The twin white blades appeared as Rey ignited the sabers. Her eyes were on them as the blades hummed and she gently twirled them in her hands. Ahsoka watched as Rey’s face shifted from unease to something else, something calmer. Ahsoka’s eyes were drawn to something over Rey’s shoulder and saw Anakin standing there eyeing Rey. His eyes flickered to Ahsoka and he simply brought his finger up to his lips to tell her not to alert Rey to his presence.

Ahsoka respected Anakin’s wishes and turned back to Rey who was still absorbed with the sabers. When she finally broke her trance she met Ahsoka’s gaze and said, “Why are your sabers calling to me?”

“Maybe they’re offering you something that you need. Something that is missing from your life that you haven’t been able to find.” Ahsoka stepped away from Rey and headed toward the scrolls and books on the opposite wall from where they were standing. “You’ve been struggling with your abilities since you were a child. You’ve been searching for answers to why the light and darkness in you are warring with each other. You’ve felt unbalanced and sometimes not in control.” She cast a glance back at Rey, “Am I hitting the right marks?”

Rey set the blades down where they had been and grumbled, “Well you’re not entirely wrong.”

Ahsoka reached out and pulled a book from the shelf, “You were excited about being a Jedi, much like I was when I had been your age. I was excited to be Anakin Skywalker’s padawan. I wanted to do good, bring peace to the galaxy. Then I felt betrayed by the people I had once looked up to and wanted to be like the most. Things changed and my position shifted.” She walked back to Rey and held out the book she had plucked from the shelves. “Do you want to be free from Snoke?”

“I’ve wanted nothing more since the moment he captured me and took me from Luke’s training temple,” Rey told her.

“Then you’re going to need to convince Ben Solo to help you,” Ahsoka said simply. “You weren’t wrong when you told him that you were so much more together. But the world isn’t as black and white as you’re making it seem. Together the two of you need to come to an understanding, a common ground if you will. The galaxy needs peace, not a ruling entity whether it is you and Ben or the First Order. It needs democracy, the one thing the Jedi strove to preserve in their time.”

“But my vision…. Ben and I were on a throne together, all my life that throne has been calling to me,” Rey confessed.

Ahsoka opened the book she handed to Rey and pointed to a throne there, “Is this the throne you’ve been seeing?”

Rey looked down to where Ahsoka was pointing and saw a sketch of the throne she had been seeing. “How did you know?” She looked back up at Ahsoka.

“That’s the Sith throne on Exegol. There are no more Sith Lords,” Ahsoka explained. “The Sith of the past have been searching for someone new to sit on the throne and take control. You and Ben Solo are powerful enough that the Sith believe you can lead them into a new age.”

“Your path was never to become a Jedi or a Sith, Rey,” Obi-Wan’s voice came from behind her. “Your path is to protect innocents like yourself from sharing the same fate you did. You must find a way to bring balance to yourself.”

“Stay and look around,” Ahsoka told her. “See if you can find the answers to any of your other questions. We’ll be here if you need us.” Then Ahsoka and Obi-Wan left her alone to explore the Hall of Knowledge.

There was so much to see in the Hall of Knowledge. There were even separate rooms filled with even more artifacts. Rey was currently sitting on the floor with books strewn around her. She was so focused on what she was doing that she barely even realized that Ben was standing in front of her.

“Rey?” Her head whipped up at the sound of his voice. Her eyes landed on him and she wondered how in the galaxy he had gotten there. “How are you here?”

Rey gave him a confused look, “What do you mean here? How did you know I was here?”

Ben cocked his head to the side, “I don’t think we’re in the same place.” He looked around him, “You’re not on the island.”

“Island? No, I’m in Coruscant,” she confessed. “How am I seeing you? The effort it would take for you to project yourself across the galaxy like this would kill you.” Whatever was happening was something different than a Force projection.

“I don’t know,” Ben said slowly before he mimicked her seated position on the ground. “Coruscant, huh? What are you doing there? Causing trouble?”

She narrowed her eyes, “If you must know I’m at the Jedi High Temple.”

He laughed, and for a moment Rey was mesmerized by the sound. She wanted to hear that laugh more. “You? At the Jedi High Temple? What are you doing there? The last time you were at a Jedi temple it burned down.”

She growled, “Well I have no intention of burning down this one and for the record I didn’t start the fire at your uncle’s temple.” She set her book aside and said, “Fair is fair, you know where I am so it’s only fair that you tell me where you are.”

“I told you, I’m on an island,” he said cryptically.

“Yes, thank you for that ever so helpful hint at where you are. I was actually hoping for a name, flyboy.”

“Well  _ sweetheart _ , I’m not going to give you that. For all I know you’ll hop onto a ship and fly here to kidnap me again and Maker knows what else,” he crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at her.

She resisted the urge to throw one of the books at him. “I could just follow our connection to you, you know? It’s not like I don’t have an open tracker on you via whatever this bond we share is.”

Ben pursed his lips, “Well damn.”

She snickered, “Didn’t think of that now did you?”

He sighed, “Fine since you could easily track me down, I’m on a planet known as Ahch-to. I found my uncle, and he’s being extremely difficult.” Rey could see that he had dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t been sleeping well and his hair was a little unkempt. “What are you doing at the Jedi High Temple?”

Rey took a moment to collect her thoughts, “I come here sometimes…. People don’t expect to find me here and it’s been abandoned for some time. I come here to think and be alone.”

The two of them fell silent and just looked at one another. “Why do you stay with them?”

The answer wasn’t an easy one. Rey wasn’t sure how she should even broach the subject of what she needed to say. “It’s easy for you to think about it being a simple choice to leave,” she started. “You have a family that loves and cares for you. I never had that. I was left on the planet Jakku when I was a child. My parents sold me to Unkar Plutt and that was where I stayed until your uncle found me.” She clenched and unclenched her fists. “I have nothing, am nothing. I come from nothing. I thought that Luke may come back for me, that he would save me from Snoke and the First Order, but with each passing day, that hope was slowly crushed. Where could I run when I had nowhere to run too?”

Ben stayed quiet and processed what she had said. “You’re not nothing, Rey. That’s Snoke’s way of making you loyal to him, this perverted way of making you think that you need him in order to survive. You did it for years once your parents left and you’ve survived under what Snoke has done to you.”

She looked away from him, the intensity of his gaze and the weight of his words making her slightly uncomfortable. She hated the way her cheeks heated and how her heart fluttered at his words. “Trying to sweet talk me, Solo?”

“Is it working?” He fired back.

She snuck a look at him and saw that there was a small smile on his face, he was enjoying this. “No, I don’t think so,” but they both knew that she was lying.

Ben went to make another comment when whatever was connecting them suddenly cut out and he was gone leaving Rey alone in the hall again. Her heart sank as she was reminded that he wasn’t actually here with her.

_ Ben? _ She reached out hesitantly not sure if he would respond or not.

_ Yeah, sweetheart? _

She bit her lip,  _ Nevermind, it was nothing. _

She felt Ben’s confusion before she pulled away and was left in the hall alone. She had wanted to ask him if he would join her, but she knew that he wouldn’t. He was adamant about not coming to her side no matter how many times she asked. She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in her hands, letting out a soft sob.

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan stood back and watched the young woman break right in front of them. “What can we do?” Ahsoka asked.

Obi-Wan shook his head, “There’s nothing we can do. She has to want to save herself and at this point, I think Ben Solo is the only person who could help her.”


	13. Chapter Thirteen ~ Ben

Trying to convince his uncle to come with him was proving to be an impossible task. The man was just as stubborn as his mother was. He was beginning to wonder if his plan was ever going to work. Then he had had the - well he wasn’t sure what it was - with Rey, and for a moment he was wondering if he should go to her.

He couldn’t help but think he was an idiot for ever considering going to her. But there was something about that conversation. She had seemed vulnerable, nervous even. For the first time since the two of them had met they had actually had an honest conversation with one another. Ben didn’t know what this bond with Rey was, but if he was going to be connected to her like this then maybe he could convince her to join him and the Resistance.

Luke was eyeing his nephew who was sitting in the center of the area where the huts were. He could hear him murmuring to someone, but there was no one else around and Luke didn’t see any com devices. Suddenly Ben went silent and began looking around in confusion. “Something wrong?” Luke called out.

Ben turned and said, “No, nothing’s wrong.” It wasn’t the full truth, but Luke was going to let it go. “I see you decided to crawl out of your hut and actually talk to me today.”

“Might as well make conversation if you’re going to just stay here,” Luke grumbled. “I hope you know that this is pointless.”

“Nothing is pointless,” Ben countered. “I don’t know why you won’t come back. We need you.”

Luke shook his head and took a seat on a stone bench across from Ben, “You don’t need me, you only think that you need me.” Luke gestured toward the sky with his hand, “The galaxy doesn’t need me, it thinks it does. It wants hope, but what can I do to provide it if I’m not the person that they think I am?”

“Look, you may not be the greatest Jedi to ever live, but people still believe in you. My mother happens to be one of those people. So tell me, Uncle, are you really going to sit here in self-pity while the First Order destroys the freedom of the galaxy?”

“Why are you here, Ben? You never wanted anything to do with Jedi or your abilities. Now I see you toting my father’s saber and training with it. Why now?”

Ben glanced down at his hands and said, “A lot has happened in a short amount of time. I can’t deny who I am any longer. I can’t sit back and let others do the things that I could do with my abilities.”

Luke took him in and took in what he was saying, “It’s time for the old ways to die, Ben. The Jedi were flawed, I’m flawed. Go back to your mother and anywhere else in the galaxy, but I’m not coming with you.”

Ben’s mind flashed back to Rey and how she was alone on Coruscant. What would his mother say if he did that? What would the Resistance think if he joined the enemy at the old Jedi High Temple and didn’t bring his uncle back? He was sure that they would be disappointed in him and possibly even label him a traitor.

“You have a greater responsibility,” Ben finally said. “I can’t tell you what to do, I can’t even make you do anything, but I think you’ve grown into a coward since your training temple was destroyed and you left an innocent girl to fall into the hands of Snoke.”

Ben got up to leave, and Luke closed his eyes. “Did she tell you what happened?”

Ben was shocked to hear his uncle ask him that, “What do you mean did she tell me?”

Luke wasn’t as stupid as his nephew seemed to think he was. “I know that the two of you are connected by the Force. When Rey was younger she used to talk about the boy she saw in her dreams, feeling him. At first I thought it was just dreams and visions, then she knew when you got injured when you were younger and I suspected that there was something else going on. Just now you were talking with her weren’t you?” Ben didn’t even try to deny it. “How long have you known about your connection?”

“I’ve always known there was a woman trying to contact me through the Force, but it wasn’t until recently that I knew we had a connection. I’m still figuring things out.”

“Has she told you about the night she was taken?”

“Only that she hoped that you would come back for her,” Ben confessed.

Luke closed his eyes, “I did want to go to her, but the night my temple was destroyed something happened that scared me so much that I thought maybe leaving her would be for the best.” Ben saw Luke struggling for the right thing to say. “I heard her screaming that night. I went to check on her, but she threw me from her quarters. When she emerged from her hut she had eyes like the Sith Lords. Her voice… it wasn’t just hers, but a voice I haven’t heard for some time now.” Luke closed his eyes and tried to will that memory of that night away, but it would forever be ingrained in his memory. “I’m sure your mother told you about Palpatine, correct?”

“Yes, she always told me that you and grandfather destroyed him and it was how the war was won.”

“That’s what I thought as well, but Palpatine has returned. Through whatever dark magic the Sith possesses he managed to survive and he’s been in hiding since then. Pulling the strings and controlling things from behind a curtain. The First Order was just the beginning, capturing Rey and having Snoke train her is only part of his plan. I’m sure he wants you as well.”

Ben felt as if the world was giving out from under him. Palpatine was back and he had somehow possessed Rey the night his uncle’s temple had been destroyed. “Do you think she knows?”

“It’s hard to say,” Luke said honestly. “I doubt it. For whatever reason Palpatine is in hiding and I have a feeling there’s a reason he hasn’t revealed himself and been at the forefront of this entire operation the entire time. He’s not strong enough, he’s waiting for something.”

“He’s waiting for us,” Ben whispered. “It’s the only explanation. He needs us for some reason. Rey keeps saying that we’ll be stronger together, what if Palpatine needs us together to complete whatever it is he’s planning?”

“Then you need to proceed carefully, Ben. You can’t play into Palpatine’s hands,” Luke warned. 

Ben slowly began to back away from his uncle, “I need to think. I need some space.” Then he turned and ran away from the huts and toward a quieter part of the island.

The wind blew Ben’s hair as he stood by the cliff and watched the waves. He wasn’t sure how long he had been standing there, but the sun was beginning to go down and it was getting colder. Luke hadn’t come for him since he had fled the space where his uncle had revealed his beliefs that Palpatine was back, that maybe he had never truly died in the first place.

“Rey doesn’t know,” a voice said beside him, causing him to jump back. Beside him was a man around his age, there was a scar over his right eye, and there was something oddly familiar about him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Ben studied him, “You’re Anakin, my grandfather.”

Anakin smiled and turned his attention toward the ocean, “I never thought I’d see the day when I’d have grandchildren. Palpatine lied to me and told me that my wife and child were dead. Imagine my surprise years later when I have not one, but two children.” There was a hint of forlornness in his tone. “I missed out on so much because of Palpatine and the darkside. I don’t want that for anyone else.”

Ben studied his grandfather’s profile, he never thought he’d see the day when he would come face to face with Anakin Skywalker. “There’s so much I want to ask you, so much I want to know, but now may not be the time for that.”

Anakin laughed, “Yes, we’ll have time for that later, Ben. But I do believe you’re here trying to sort out things about a young woman named Rey, am I correct?”

“Yeah, you are.”

“Rey needs your help, Ben. More so than Luke needs to leave this island. Your uncle isn’t going anywhere, but there is so much more at stake with Rey.”

“How do I know that I can trust her?”

Anakin looked at Ben and said, “Do you really think that I would be here trying to convince you to go to her if you couldn’t trust her?” He had a point, why would Anakin tell him to abandon his mission and go after Rey if he couldn’t trust her? “All she wants is to feel like she belongs somewhere, Ben. She feels like she can have that with you. She feels like she needs to prove herself and protect herself from the pain that she’s been facing all these years.”

“What would you do if you were me?” 

“I was never one to follow orders directly,” Anakin admitted. “Sometimes if there was something that I viewed as more important I would run that lead down first. Things are not always black and white, Ben.”

“No one with the Resistance would understand,” Ben knew that this would be a hard pill for many to swallow. “They would kill Rey on sight.”

“Then don’t go to the Resistance,” Anakin said. “You’re right when you say that the Resistance wouldn’t welcome her with open arms. She’s hurt a lot of people, but there is still good inside of her. I think you’re the first person to see it in her in a long time.”

“Where would we even go?” Ben knew there wasn’t a place in the galaxy that would welcome Rey or him for that matter. Both sides of the war had taken over much and Ben was wanted by the First Order while Rey was wanted by the Resistance.

“That is up to you, but if I may make a suggestion try Naboo.” Anakin had a soft look on his face, his gaze far off as he remembered Padme’s homeworld. “The people there are peaceful, and it was your grandmother’s homeworld. You may find the refuge you need there.”

“I can’t believe I’m even considering this,” Ben said as he turned away from Anakin and began pacing. “This is crazy.”

Anakin let Ben pace, “The two of you can help each other in ways that no one else can. She can train you and you can show her that there’s more to this life than the harsh reality that she’s been dealt. There’s so much more Rey has never experienced.” He gently placed a hand on Ben’s shoulder and looked into his grandson’s eyes. “I can’t make you do anything Ben. The choice is entirely up to you, but the two of you stand a greater chance in this war if you’re together.”

“I know what I have to do,” he said to his grandfather before heading back toward the huts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ben Solo what are you about to do now? :D


	14. Chapter Fourteen ~ Rey

There was a loud beeping in Rey’s ears rousing her from her peaceful sleep. As she slowly awoke she realized it was her com device and she groaned, reaching for it so she could shut it up. Her body felt sore from the way she had fallen asleep propped up against the wall. When she found the device she growled, “What?”

“Where are you?” General Hux’s voice came through sounding severely irritated and Rey wanted nothing more than to crush her device and forget Hux ever even existed.

“That is none of your concern, General,” she said in her best passive voice she could muster. “What do you need?”

“Supreme Leader Snoke wants your presence on his ship immediately. He’s grown tired of your disappearing act,” Hux sneered. The general had no idea where Rey went on her little excursions, but he knew if he could figure it out then maybe he could knock her down a few pegs from the pedestal that Snoke had her on.

Rey didn’t want to go back to Snoke’s ship, she wanted to stay right where she was and forget that would outside of the walls even existed. The war didn’t matter when she was locked behind these walls reading the Jedi’s knowledge and going through their artifacts. “Does he have a mission for me?”

“Does it matter?” Rey heard the impatience in Hux’s voice and it was the only console she had to him interrupting her blissful silence. “Just get here as soon as you can.” Then his voice was gone leaving her alone. 

Well, almost alone.

“Are you going to go?” Ahsoka appeared in front of Rey, there was a worried look on her face. Rey could tell that Ahsoka didn’t want her going back to Snoke’s ship. Over the past couple of days that Rey had been in the secret room at the Jedi high temple, Ahsoka had come and gone as she pleased, never straying too far in case Rey had questions.

Rey looked up to meet her gaze, “I guess I should go. I need to get my wounds checked and I am still technically part of the First Order. I don’t want to put myself on Snoke’s bad side just yet.” She forced herself to stand and began heading for the exit, she paused in the doorway and looked back at Ahsoka, “I’ll be back though. There’s still so much here that I need to go through.”

Ahsoka didn’t like that Rey was leaving, but she didn’t say anything as she watched the young woman exit through the door. She wished that there was some way she could stop Rey from going, but the young woman was right, she was still part of the First Order and if she didn’t go when she was called then Snoke would come looking for her. Ahsoka didn’t want him or his cronies finding the Hall of Knowledge and getting their hands on sacred Jedi materials.

Rey boarded her ship and looked back at the temple one last time before taking off to make her way to Snoke’s ship. She thought back to the look on Ahsoka’s face when she admitted that she was going to leave. There had been disappointment in the former Jedi’s eyes. If Rey was a stronger person she would have told Hux to fuck off and leave her alone, but she knew Snoke would come looking for her then.

She arrived at Snoke’s ship a few hours later and was greeted by Hux who was sneering at her. “These little excursions of yours displease the Supreme Leader greatly. You can’t just disappear whenever you please. You have duties and responsibilities to the First Order.”

Rey’s face was hidden behind her mask, but she still narrowed her eyes at Hux, “I have more important things to do than sit around on a Star Destroyer to wait for further instructions. Unlike some people around here I have a greater responsibility.”

Hux clenched his fists, Rey could feel his anger rising, “Listen here, you poor excuse for--”

“Watch your next words carefully, General Hux,” Rey responded, interrupting where his train of thought was going. “For they could very well be the last words you ever speak.”

Hux clamped his mouth shut and continued to lead Rey down the halls toward Snoke’s throne room. When they reached the room he left her to face Snoke alone. He didn’t say another word to her, he just glared at the back of her head as the elevator doors closed.

Rey made her way toward Snoke and bowed once she was several feet from him. “General Hux claimed that you wished to speak with me, Supreme Leader.”

Snoke tapped his fingers on the armrest of his throne, his eyes trained on Rey. No words were spoken as he continued to stare at her with a disapproving look. “Where do you go when you leave the safety of the First Order?”

“Supreme Leader?” She asked, feigning confusion.

Snoke’s frown deepened, “Do not play coy with me, Rey. Where do you go when you leave the First Order ships? I know you leave the First Order when you finish one mission and before you are given another. General Hux has mentioned it several times, and I do hate listening to him complain. Answer me, where do you go?”

“Nowhere important, Supreme Leader,” she lied. “I travel the galaxy in secret searching for the Resistance. I keep my ears to the ground to see if I can find any word on where they may be hiding.”

Snoke stood and reached out with the Force and lifted Rey from the ground, choking her, “Lies!” He tossed her so that she landed with a painful thud against the floor, skidding back several feet from where she had been positioned before. “Tell me the truth of where you go!”

“I swear, Supreme Leader,” she begged, gasping out the words as Snoke began to Force choke her. “I’m not doing anything to threaten the First Order.” It wasn’t exactly the truth, but it wasn’t necessarily a lie either.

Snoke released her from his chokehold, “If you are lying to me, I won’t be so kind to you again.” He waved a hand to dismiss her, and she scrambled to her feet. “And remove the mask!” He shouted as she hurried from the throne room. “You’re like a child playing dress-up.”

In the safety of the elevator, she removed her mask and leaned against the wall as she gulped down lungfuls of air. She thought about how she had to be more careful from now on before leaving. Snoke was becoming too suspicious and she didn’t want to jeopardize anything.

For now, she was going to lay low and do her duty to the First Order. It was the only thing she knew to do.

A few hours after rejoining the First Order Rey was in her room trying to relax when she felt the atmosphere in her room shift like it had prior when she had Ben had seen one another. It was happening again and her heart raced at the thought of seeing Ben. He was her one bright spot in all of this. Maybe he could provide her with a proper distraction from the horrendous day she had already had.

She looked around her room and saw him before her, he hadn’t noticed her yet as he was wiping his face with a towel, water droplets were running down his broad chest, his black pants hung loose on his hips. Rey could feel her cheeks burning and her mouth opened slightly at the sight before her. She hadn’t expected to see him in this state of undress. 

Then her mind went to a what-if. What if she had seen him in the shower? That mental image caused her cheeks to burn even more than they already were and she mentally scolded herself for that thought.

Ben seemed to notice then that he was not alone in his task and looked up to see Rey sitting before him. His eyes widened and Rey noticed that his cheeks were also turning red. “Well this isn’t the least bit awkward,” he noted after several uncomfortable minutes of silence as the two of them stared at each other.

“I swear I didn’t do this on purpose,” was the first thing out of Rey’s mouth. She didn’t want him to think that she was purposely spying on him while he showered.

Ben snorted, “I didn’t think you were, sweetheart.” The pet name had once annoyed Rey, but now she was finding it slightly endearing. She didn’t care if it had begun as a taunt to her. Then he said something that thoroughly shocked her, “Why aren’t you on Coruscant anymore?”

The air seemed to leave her lungs as she said, “What?” How did he know that she wasn’t on Coruscant? If he knew that then that could only mean he had gone there himself. Her heart began to race as the thought repeated itself over and over in her mind. He had gone to Coruscant to find her.

“Coruscant, why aren’t you here?” He was looking at her now, all signs of his earlier embarrassment seemingly forgotten as he wrapped the towel around his neck and stared at her.

Rey blinked, at a loss for words. “Are you there?” She blurted out before she could think of anything else to say. Of course, he was there if he knew that she wasn’t.

“I am,” he confirmed with a slight nod of his head. “I came here shortly after our first… well after our first whatever this is.” He looked around whatever he was seeing on his end of the connection. “So, why aren’t you here?”

“Why did you come?” She fired back.

Ben chewed on his lip considering his next words carefully, “I was visited by someone and they made a lot of sense. They said that you needed me more than my uncle needed to leave that island and they were right, Rey. You need me more than my uncle does. The galaxy needs us more than it needs my uncle. I can’t do this alone Rey and neither can you. So I came for you, I was going to take you somewhere, no Resistance and no First Order. Just me and you and we were going to train. Then we were going to figure out a way to bring balance back to the galaxy. Together.”

Rey couldn’t believe the words she was hearing come out of his mouth. He had come for her, he wanted to take her away from this, he wanted to be with her and train. For the first time in her life someone had chosen her over their duty, they hadn’t given up on her like her parents, like Luke. “Are you still there?”

He nodded his head, “I am, and I’ll wait here for you. I’m not going to jeopardize you or I by coming to the First Order ships. I’ll be waiting for you, sweetheart.”

Rey’s heart began beating faster, “Give me time. Snoke is suspicious. Gather as much as you can for the temple and make sure the Jedi help you. I’ll join you as soon as I can.” She couldn’t believe it, she was going to go to Ben. She needed a few days to make sure she wouldn’t be followed. 

“And Rey?” He looked at her, a small smile forming on his face, “The scar looks good on you, gives you a real roguish look.”

She narrowed her eyes, “Are you coming onto me, flyboy?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart, am I?” Then he was gone before she could say anything else or get anything else out of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to tell y'all this, but I'm taking a quick hiatus. It won't be long, it's just I'm running out of chapters to post and I want to get ahead. I just want to get a good little head start and once I have a bunch of chapters written out I'll start updating again. I'm hoping it won't be longer than two weeks. In the meantime, if y'all have any requests then I'll be happy to write some stories for Reylo other than this one. It can be anything (no smut requests, I'm not comfortable enough to write full-on smut) I'll take AUs, canon fics, canon divergence, anything you want to see. Just leave it in the comments below and I'll work on them.


	15. Chapter Fifteen ~ Ben

Ben was in the Hall of Knowledge leaning back in a chair as he flipped through one of the Jedi texts. There was so much here that he wasn’t sure how he was going to get through it all. Some of the texts and artifacts he had started to box up that way when Rey finally joined him they could load his ship up and get out of there. He wondered when that would be.

It was crazy to think that he was waiting for her to come to him. Sometimes he thought that he would wake up on Ahch-to and this whole bit of his journey would have been a dream. She was his enemy, but his grandfather and the other Jedi seemed to think that he needed her and she needed him.

He came across one text and began to read it, as he did a section of the text caught his eye and caused him to pause. In the text, it mentioned something about a connection through the Force. It was eerily similar to what he and Rey were experiencing with one another, and he learned that it had a name.

Dyad.

They were a dyad in the force. They were one and that was why they had such a strong connection to one another. He stared at the page for a long time just looking at the words written on the page. “How can this be possible?” He whispered to himself.

“How can what be possible?” Rey appeared before him and he jerked not having expected her there. “Ben?” She looked at him with worry clearly written on her face, he looked like he had seen a ghost.

He snapped out of his daze and said, “I was reading the texts and I found something about our connection.” He found the passage that he had been reading and told her, “It’s saying that we’re a dyad, that we’re one and that’s why we’re sharing these visions and connections.” He turned the book around and showed her the page he had been reading, “Apparently it only happens on rare occasions.”

She read over the passage of the books and sat down on the ground across from him. He wondered where she was currently, was she still on a First Order ship or somewhere else in the galaxy? “I’ve never heard of something like this before,” she looked up from the page to Ben. “In all my years of training, either with Luke or Snoke, no one has ever told me about this.”

“Maybe it’s not well known,” Ben said as he gently closed the book and set it aside so he could turn his full attention toward Rey. “It said in the book that it’s a rare occurrence so maybe it’s lost knowledge at this point.”

Rey chewed on her lip for a moment deep in thought, “Maybe.” She glanced around and Ben watched her eyes as she scanned whatever space she was in. “I’m trying to picture the Hall of Knowledge now,” she explained as her gaze briefly landed on Ben again. “I’m trying to see what you are.”

“Can you?” He rubbed his hands on his pants’ legs, feeling nervous and jittery for some reason.

She shook her head, “No, I can only see my room on the First Order ship. Rather dull if you ask me.”

Ben let out a little laugh, “I can’t imagine the ships would be filled with much except technology.”

“General Hux doesn’t like things being cluttered or dirty,” she gave him a small smile as a laugh escaped her. The two of them were soon chuckling together as she recounted the time Hux had gone completely red after some stormtroopers had tracked in mud after a mission.

Anakin and Obi-Wan stood off to the side watching them together. “Do you think that they can do it?” Obi-Wan looked at Anakin who was observing the scene with interest. “There’s so much darkness in her that sometimes I wonder.”

Anakin finally looked at his old master, “There was so much darkness in me as well, but Luke saw the good there. He brought me back like you and Padme tried to do.” He nodded his head in Ben’s direction, “He’s the first person to see her as she truly is. He will help her believe in herself again. They’re already becoming friends.”

Obi-Wan looked back to Ben and Rey again only to discover that Rey was gone and Ben was sitting there looking down at his hands, a faint, sad smile gracing his lips. “Let’s hope we don’t have another repeat of you, Anakin.”

“You have no faith in me at all do you, Master?” Anakin said with a short laugh.

Obi-Wan smiled at him, “I have more faith in you than you think I do.” With that, the two Force ghosts disappeared leaving Ben alone to replay the conversation he had just had with Rey.

_ Ben was dreaming. He was on a First Order ship and his feet began to move of their own accord. Some invisible force was pulling him down different hallways and past stormtroopers that didn’t seem to know he was even there. He looked around in confusion trying to figure out where he was going and what the hell was going on. Something felt off about this dream. _

_ Suddenly the force stopped tugging him along and he came to a stop in front of a door. Ahead of him, he saw General Hux making his way toward the same room he was now positioned in front of. Behind him were the Knights of Ren, their faces covered in masks like Rey’s had been once upon a time. “Be ready, she won’t go quietly,” General Hux told the men. _

_ “Yes General,” they barked in response. _

_ Without another word, General Hux opened the door and Ben followed the group inside only to realize that it was Rey’s room. She was sitting at a small desk looking over reports and making notes. She looked up when she heard her door open and saw General Hux and the Knights enter her room. “General Hux, what is the meaning of this?” _

_ Ben watched as a malicious smile came over General Hux’s face, “Supreme Leader Snoke has given me the order to take you to reconditioning. It seems that someone has grown attached to a Ben Solo.” _

_ Ben watched Rey’s face but she revealed nothing, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, General. Ben Solo means nothing to me. He’s a means to an end.” _

_ “Rey,” the word slipped past his lips before he could stop it and her eyes flicked to where he was standing behind General Hux. She momentarily looked confused, but then her face was a mask of disinterest once again. _

_ General Hux made a noise of disappointment, “He’s been watching you Rey, ever since your last disappearing act and letting Ben Solo escape with the traitor and his father.” _

_ “I didn’t let him escape,” she hissed, her eyes becoming slits. “I fought him and became injured. How is that letting him escape?” _

_ “Still, the disappointment made Supreme Leader curious so he had me monitoring you and he discovered something interesting. You’ve been in contact with Ben Solo, we’re not sure how, but we have recordings of your messages. And it seems like you were on Coruscant and now that’s where Ben Solo is, waiting for you to come and… how did you put it? Disappear?” _

_ The Knights came forward and seized Rey by her arms, she struggled against their grip, but they were stronger than she was, “Unhand me!” She shot a murderous look at General Hux, “Let me go this instant, you slimy weasel!”  _

_ He merely grinned, “Come along, you have a reconditioning appointment to get too. Supreme Leader Snoke wants to make sure there is no trace of Ben Solo left in your mind.” _

_ Ben watched with a sinking feeling in his gut. If they managed to erase her memories of him then all his hopes of saving the galaxy with her by his side were dashed. But then how could he be sure that this was actually happening. He was dreaming, wasn’t he? _

The next thing Ben knew he was being shaken and a familiar voice was shouting his name. “Ben! Ben, I need you to wake up!” Ben’s eyes opened to see his grandfather standing above him, a look of complete horror on his face. “You need to save Rey.”

Ben sat up quickly, “I just had a dream… Snoke, he knew about us. He had Hux send her to reconditioning, is that true? Did I see it happen?”

“It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s about too. You need to hurry Ben. You need to get her out of there before he can do anything to her.” Anakin remembered the dreams he had had of his mother and Padme. He remembered the helplessness he had felt when he had woken from them. “Go. Go before anything irreversible is done.”

Ben hurriedly got up and collected the things he needed before hurrying out of the Hall of Knowledge. All he knew was that Rey needed him and he wasn’t going to abandon her to Snoke as his uncle had. He wasn’t going to leave her alone anymore.

_ Hold on sweetheart, I’m coming _ , he promised, hoping that she could hear the mental thought he sent her way, praying it would give her hope to hold on until he got there.

The next problem was getting on board Snoke’s ship without being caught.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long wait. I have been fighting major writer's block for a while now. I hope everyone is doing well and I hope you enjoy this next part!


	16. Chapter Sixteen ~ Rey

Rey was strapped to a chair with several of the First Order officers milling around her preparing for her reconditioning. General Hux was standing before her grinning as if he had won. She glared at him, her hands tightening into fists by her sides. The smug look was only making her anger grow more intense by the second.

“You know, I never thought I’d see the day when the mighty Rey would fall from her pedestal, but here we are,” he gloated. “Now you’re just going to be as mindless and respectful as the stormtroopers.”

She leaned forward, her restraints holding her back slightly, “I’m stronger than I look, Hux. I’ll figure out a way out of this.”

General Hux looked at the First Order officers and asked, “Is it ready?”

“Yes sir,” one of the men said. “Whenever you’re ready to give the order.”

General Hux looked back at Rey and with a triumphant look said, “Begin.”

The world went dark and Rey fought to keep her memories of Ben, of everything that she had gone through. She wasn’t going to be brainwashed into believing that there was no one out there waiting for her. There was a point when she thought she heard Ben telling her that he was coming.

She wanted to tell him not to come, she couldn’t risk Snoke getting his hands on Ben, but there was a part of her that wasn’t sure if she was hallucinating. He might not even know what was going on, no one was going to come for her. She was alone and she had to figure out a way out of this herself like she always did.

Hours passed and she was finally brought out of the darkness. General Hux was still standing before her but it appeared as though he had changed clothes at some point. His suit was a different one than he had been wearing before. “Did it work?” He snapped at the officers in the room.

“It should have, sir,” one of them informed him as they came over to inspect Rey. “She should have no prior memory of what happened. She is moldable to the Supreme Leader’s wishes.”

A smile stretched across General Hux’s face, “Excellent.” His gaze fell on Rey and she knew that she had to play this carefully. She could still remember who she was and what had happened. Most importantly she remembered Ben. “Rey, come along the Supreme Leader wishes to have a word with you.”

“Yes General,” she responded in a dutiful tone even though she nearly gagged when the words left her mouth. One of the officers unhooked her from the chair and she rose to her feet following after General Hux as he headed for Snoke’s throne room. 

Once they arrived at the elevator General Hux stopped and turned to look at Rey, the look of victory still on his face. “Head down and see the Supreme Leader, I have other business to attend to. And do be a good girl for him.”

She wanted to sneer, but she kept her face blank and entered the waiting elevator. Even after the doors closed and General Hux was no longer in sight she kept her face blank. There were cameras everywhere and she didn’t need someone telling General Hux that his reconditioning effort had been a waste.

The doors to the elevator opened and revealed the red throne room of Snoke’s. He was situated on his throne as she strode forward toward him. He looked almost bored. “Tell me, what do you remember?” He asked as she came to a stop before him.

“I am Rey, and I am your personal bodyguard. You have trained me in the ways of the Force, you saved me when I was a child,” she knew what memories they had left her with and which ones they had taken. “I am going to be the downfall of the Resistance.”

Snoke chuckled and looked pleased, “Maybe General Hux isn’t as useless as I imagined him to be.”

The elevators opened and an officer came forward, “Supreme Leader, we’ve just received word that Ben Solo has snuck on board and is looking for Master Rey.” Rey’s heart skipped a beat.

“Well this day is shaping up to be a better one than I had imagined,” Snoke said. “Rey, come stand before me, let young Solo see what we’ve done to you.” She positioned herself before Snoke, her eyes fixed on the elevator waiting for Ben to appear.

As each second passed her heart seemed to pound louder in her chest. He had come for her, she hadn’t been imagining his voice in her mind when she had been under. This was dangerous though, what had he been thinking?

The elevator opened and Ben appeared by himself, “Let her go!” He shouted as he hurried forward. His eyes landing on Rey, the blank expression. “Rey,” he pleaded. “Please are you still in there? Can you hear me?”

Snoke began laughing maniacally, “She’s no longer your precious Rey. She’s now my loyal apprentice as she should have been from the start.” Snoke noted the Skywalker saber attached to Ben’s hip and called it forward with his powers. Ben tried to stop it from leaving his side, but it was no use. It landed on the armrest of Snoke’s throne, a triumphant look on Snoke’s misshapen face.

Ben’s eyes went from the saber that Snoke had stolen to Rey’s face and she could see the fear in his eyes that he had actually lost her, that he had been too late. “I don’t believe that,” Ben announced as he looked back at Snoke. “I don’t believe that she’s a mindless drone for you to command.”

_ Rey, can you hear me?  _ She almost jerked when she heard his voice whispering into her mind.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while now young Solo. I’ve wanted to get my hands on you, train all that potential you possess. The galaxy needs you and Rey, together we will rule,” Snoke was saying.

“I think I’m going to have to decline your offer,” Ben said. “I just came to get Rey and then we’ll be on our merry way.”

Snoke threw back his head and laughed, “Did you really think you could just waltz onto my ship and leave with her? Pathetic. I’m more powerful than you, you’re untrained. And who’s to say Rey wants to leave with you? I had her reconditioned, all she knows about you is that you are rebel scum.”

_ Is it true, Rey please tell me it’s not true? Come back to me. _ “You’re an evil son of a bitch, you know that?”

Snoke narrowed his eyes, his smirk still present, “And you are so much like your father, Solo. If you had been my apprentice I would have beat that out of you a long time ago.”

“You could have tried,” Ben said. “But I have a feeling it wouldn’t have worked.”

“I'm tired of this conversation. Rey,” he commanded. She snapped to attention, her focus on Snoke. “Kill him.”

Rey’s mind was whirling with the possibilities. She was calculating how things would go if she were to try and kill Snoke here and now. She stalked forward, unclipping her saber as she went. Ben’s face was pleading with her not to do this, that she knew him. 

And she did. She did know who Ben was. He was the first person who saw her for her and not for her powers. He was the first person to believe in her, that she could be better than what everyone believed of her.

Finally, she came to a stop in front of Ben, her face never wavering from the mask she had slipped on from the moment she had woken from reconditioning. The game she was playing was dangerous, but with Ben by her side, she had a shot of winning. “Rey,” he pleaded. “It’s me. It’s Ben.”

Her hand came down to her saber and unclipped it from her belt. She held it out beside her, the cool metal of the hilt felt slick against her sweaty palms. Her heart hadn’t slowed from the gallop it had begun when Ben had entered the throne room. This was it, this was where she freed herself from the shackles Snoke had put her in.

A smirk began to take shape on her face, “I prefer flyboy.” 

Chaos erupted in the room as she ignited Anakin’s saber raming the blue blade through Snoke’s middle. What Snoke had failed to notice that was while he was gloating to Ben she had slowly been turning it toward her abuser. If he had noticed it then all would have been lost, but lucky for her his pride was inflated at that moment. Snoke froze in shock before she called Anakin’s saber towards her, stepping out of the way so that Ben could rise and catch his grandfather’s saber.

The praetorian guard snapped into action when they saw their master, now sliced in half, slump forward off of his throne. “You had me worried there sweetheart,” Ben said as the two of them stood back to back.

“As if they could actually erase my memory and give me new ones,” she said. “We can talk more about this later, right now we need to worry about them.” The guards were approaching the two of them, their weapons raised.

The world seemed to almost grow quiet around the two of them as they faced off against the praetorian guard. However, when the first blow was struck the sound seemed to come rushing back and the throne room was filled with the sounds of battle as Rey and Ben stood back to back fighting.

The guards weren’t going to make it easy on them, they had been trained ruthlessly to be the best they could be in order to protect Snoke. They had been handpicked by Snoke himself to make sure he had the best security in the galaxy. What Snoke hadn’t been accounting for was Rey turning on him and killing him with Anakin’s saber.

Rey was soon separated from Ben as the two of them were pulled in different directions of the battle. Sometimes she could see him out of the corner of her eye, he was fighting off two of the guards as she took down one of the three that had circled around her. She glanced at them as one turned his blade into an electro-chain whip and swiped it at Rey. She narrowly missed it as it went flying past her.

Given her momentary distraction, another guard stepped forward and thrust his blade toward Rey. It caught her on the arm causing a wound to appear and causing Rey to cry out in pain.

“Rey!” Ben shouted upon hearing her cry.

“I’m fine!” She shouted and then gritted her teeth. She wasn’t going to let this slow her down and she let her anger propel her forward and rammed one side of her saber through the chest of the guard that had stabbed her.

The two remaining guards became more aggressive, they wanted to get the fight over with as soon as possible. They came closer and Rey threw one of them away with the Force, the guard flew across the room and into a space where he was shredded to pieces by the ship’s machinery.

The last guard wasn’t going to be as easy to take care of as she would hope. They were circling one another now, Rey’s eyes narrowed as she took in the guard’s form, looking for any weaknesses he may have. She blocked out all other sounds as she focused on the guard, her mind becoming clearer as she took in deep breaths to center herself.

She charged at the guard and they began to fight, their weapons clashing. Before she knew what was happening though the guard knocked her saber from her hands and sent it skittering across the floor out of her reach. She went to call it back to her but a swipe of the spear the guard had sent her stumbling back to narrowly avoid it.

With her thrown off-kilter the guard went in for a final attack and managed to get her in a chokehold. Rey’s hands went to the shaft of the spear and was tugging at it with all her might. She was groaning as she tried to free herself, but the guard was strong.

“Rey!” She heard Ben call her name once again and when she glanced his way she saw him throw his saber toward her. Reaching up she caught it and ignited the blade so that it punctured the helmet of the guard and effectively killed him. Rey shoved him off and Ben rushed over to her. His hands were on her face checking for any injuries, his eyes lingering on the wound the one guard had left on her arm. “Are you all right?” 

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “Just a little scratch.”

His eyes locked onto hers and for a moment the two of them just stared at one another, chest heaving from the exertion of the fight. Rey noticed that his eyes drifted down to her lips and she held her breath waiting to see if maybe he would kiss her, but he dropped his hands at the last second. “We need to go,” he said, taking a step away from her. “I’m sure we won’t be left alone much longer and I want to get back to Coruscant to get the materials I gathered before we hideout somewhere new.”

She cleared her throat and nodded, “Come with me, I know the quickest way back to the ships.” The two of them dashed off to make it back to the ships’ hanger. The entire time though she wondered if he would have actually kissed her if they were given the chance.


End file.
